Samson
by Tigyr
Summary: A sequel of sorts to my story The Basement.
1. Chapter 1

(_A/N: I hadn't intended to write another story with Samson in it, but you know how pushy cats can be when they want their own way…lol. There will be at least one more story with Samson in it, hopefully by this weekend. As usual, I own nothing to do with NCIS whether it be the show, the actors, the franchise…etcetera. Tigyr_)

The big black cat sighs as he watches the house that he considers his. He knows that the owner is away, but he watches for signs of life until the owner arrives. The man is greyer now, his silver blue eyes don't smile as often as they used to, but he appears to be the same human that Samson has watched over these many years.

There's something new going on in Gibbs' life. The doors on the house are still open for the ones he considers his adopted family, but there's more. Gibbs is spending less and less time in the basement. Samson purrs as he remembers the first time he'd seen the basement, and the way he'd been able to rest on Gibbs' chest as a tiny kitten.

Samson also remembers the pain he'd seen when Shannon and Kelly no longer lived with Gibbs. Samson didn't know what exactly had happened, but he knew it had deeply affected Gibbs, to the point that the man had cried while clinging to Samson like he was afraid of losing him. Later, Gibbs had gently shut the pet door that Samson used to go in and out of. Samson had also seen several of the wood pieces that he'd once had the pleasure of watching Gibbs create become ash as Gibbs threw them on a bonfire.

Samson shakes his graying black head as he watches Gibbs escort a female inside. This one is different from the others that have tried to enter Gibbs heart over the past years. This one is blonde and among other things, tall enough to stare Gibbs in the eyes. Gibbs actually smiles at something the woman says as he leads her to the back deck.

Samson lets out a startled yelp as the branch of the tree he's in breaks off. Gibbs doesn't hear the meow of pain, but the female immediately knows something is wrong and cautiously walks towards Samson.

Gibbs says nothing as his companion kneels down and softly starts talking to Samson like he's a normal human being, all the while running her hands along the cat's body.

"Jethro, can you help me here?" There's a small purple bubble surrounding the cat. Gibbs looks at the cat then at his companion who smiles up at him.

"I can save him, but we need to take him inside. Can I use your shirt?"

"Is he wearing a collar?"

"Yes, and a small wooden tag says –"

"Samson." Gibbs is on his knees beside her now, his eyes caressing the cat while Laurie gently wraps the animal in Gibbs shirt. Gibbs reaches out a hand and Samson lifts his head up so that Gibbs can scratch under his chin.

"He'll be okay, Jethro. We got here in time." Her quiet reassurance is matched by her steady hands as she waits for Gibbs to stand before handing the wounded cat to him. Gibbs gently carries Samson into the kitchen where he lays the animal on the table. Laurie says nothing as she hides a smile. If she ever needed proof that Leroy Jethro Gibbs was indeed a human, it's being presented to her now. The big black cat is almost asleep when Gibbs wanders out of the kitchen and up into the attic.

Laurie stays with the cat, knowing instinctively that Gibbs needs this time alone. She puts her head on the table next to the cat, as she keeps a protective hand on his head.

"You'll be okay, handsome one. Me and Jethro will see to that, okay?" the cat licks her palm and she smiles. Ten minutes later when Gibbs comes back downstairs, he finds the two inhabitants of his kitchen sound asleep.

In a way, he's glad that they're asleep. He knows that Laurie can guess why it took so long for him to return from the attic and is grateful to the woman for her tact and caring. The small act of taking care of the cat while he tucks away the last of his past is yet another reason he's starting to care for her.

Gibbs sighs as he briefly wonders at the reappearance of the black cat. If Abby were here, she'd probably claim it was an omen of some sort. The fact that Samson is here and Laurie is too, oh yeah, Abby'd have a field day. Rather than dwell on what his forensic specialist might think Gibbs turns his attention to the woman who is starting to occupy a part of his life that he'd thought would never be filled again. For the first time in years, that empty space in his heart is healing, as he slowly accepts Laurie Fields into his life.

He lightly touches the hand that's never lost contact with Samson as he says, "I can carry you in or would you rather walk?"

"I can walk, you carry Samson." She straightens up, accepting Gibbs steadying hand at her elbow. By mutual silent agreement, they head for Gibbs bedroom.

"He's not going to stay, Laurie, he never does."

"He's going nowhere for the next two days. He needs to heal and he knows that he can trust you to help him."

"What about you?" She waits until he's placed Samson on the old cat bed that he's found, covered with a pillow case and set on the floor before she answers him. As he stands up, she loops her arms around his neck, drawing his head down to hers.

After exchanging kisses she says, "I'm going nowhere, unless it's to work. I have finally settled father's estate, and that of Holly's parents. This means that for the first time since we met, I'm all yours." She smiles at the comprehension in his eyes and nods at his unspoken question. She's staying, for good, as long as he'll let her stay.

"You know that last "b" in Gibbs stands for bastard, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I can be one every now and then."

"Male PMS…you all suffer from it at some point in your lives." She giggles at the look on his face.

"Damn I hate to think what Jack's gonna say when he finally meets you." He can just imagine his dad's delight in meeting her actually. Which reminds him, "Would you like to meet my dad this weekend?"

He knows that with all the losses she's had the past few weeks, that she might not be ready to meet his father. On the other hand, Jackson Gibbs might be just what the doctor ordered. He tosses her on the bed as he pulls out his cell phone and speed dials his dad's home phone.

"Well, Leroy, this is a surprise. To what do I owe the honor?"

"Dad, I'd like to introduce you to someone this weekend. Someone, who's becoming very special to me."

"Well, by all means boy, bring her down here. It is a female isn't it?"

"Yeah, Dad, she's a female. Kinda reminds me of Mom." He grins down at her as he says it and she retaliates by finding the one ticklish spot on his body. "Gotta go Dad, see ya Friday night." The cell phone clatters as it hits the bedside table.

In a small house in Stillwater, Pennsylvania a white haired, blue-eyed gentleman wipes tears from his eyes as he realizes what wasn't said over the phone. His son is finally letting someone into his life without fear of what could happen in the future.

Over in the corner, Samson raises his black head and smiles a feline smile. His human is happy again, or on his way towards happiness. The black cat tucks his head under his paws and goes to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Samson wakens in the early morning light, and glances up at the bed his human in sleeping in. The old black cat stiffly gets to his paws, and treads closer wanting the warmth that the humans will provide. Gibbs, for the first time in a long time is sound asleep. The female next to him is softly running her hand over Gibbs chest.

Samson purrs as he again remembers the comfort he'd felt the few times he'd been allowed to sleep on Gibbs chest. The strong steady heartbeat, coupled with the warm heat of Gibbs skin had made it almost impossible for a small kitten to stay awake.

"Come here, Samson, he wont mind."

It's the female speaking and Samson finally takes a good look at the woman that is giving his human peace of mind. Her blonde hair isn't bound up anymore, it's hanging loose down her back. Her eyes are a color that reminds the cat of a kind of flower he likes to sniff at during the early spring and summer months. Admittedly the flower makes his nose twitch if he buries it too deep, but he doesn't think the female will have the same effect.

The soft hand that had set the cat's broken leg just the previous night is extended in greeting. Samson sniffs at it before butting his head against it, demanding a quick petting. The female smiles at him, as she agrees to the animal's unspoken demand.

"You let that animal on my bed." The soft grumble is half-hearted as Gibbs realizes that he'd actually missed having Samson around these past few years. Laurie lets out a delicate snort at the thought of _allowing_ Samson to do anything.

"He's a cat Jethro. As you know he'll come and go as he pleases. I've put a slight sleeping agent in the healing cocoon. It wont let him over exert himself."

"You're familiar with cats."

"You could say that," Her saucy tone is met with a kiss that temporarily leaves her breathless. Once she's able to come up for air she looks him straight in the eye and quite seriously says, "I do prefer kisses to head slaps."

Gibbs can't help himself as he busts out laughing. He gently strokes Samson's head, then carefully drapes the black cat over his chest. Samson's purring gets even louder when he feels the steady thump, thump thump of Gibbs heartbeat. Seconds pass and the cat is sound asleep on Gibbs chest.

Laurie looks at the cat curled up contentedly on Gibbs chest and heaves a sigh. "Damn, I'm in bad shape if I'm jealous of a cat."

She laughs as she ducks the good-natured slap that heads towards her. Laurie leans down and exchanges kisses with Gibbs. He tries to hold her to him, but she leans back just far enough to escape his hold. He gives her a small glare as he realizes that the cat is pinning him down. He starts to move Samson, but Laurie shakes her head.

"I'll be right back. Let him snuggle for a few minutes, it won't hurt either one of you."

"Coffee?"

"Yes, and breakfast, if you're patient." She's putting her hair back into a braid when he stops her.

"Leave it down, or maybe just in a ponytail." She nods and leaves the room. As she does, Gibbs realizes that once again the two of them had fallen asleep before doing anything more than light-hearted foreplay. He briefly wonders just how old he's actually getting when he remembers that the two of them have extremely busy schedules and she'd just returned from Japan a few hours before they'd come home.

Sleepy green eyes look up into Gibbs face, and a scratchy tongue comes out to wash Gibbs on the chin. Gibbs sighs as he scratches the cat behind his ears. A contented sigh comes from Samson as he lies in Gibbs arms. Gibbs stares down at the cat, wondering once again why Samson is back in his life.

Downstairs, Laurie finishes the quick meal she'd managed to throw together with the few ingredients that were actually occupying Gibbs fridge. The omelet with eggs, cheese and leftover ham is being served with lightly buttered toast, and the requested coffee. Laurie places silverware her own glass of milk and a small jar of strawberry preserves on the tray then carries it all upstairs.

Two pairs of eyes look up at her when she enters the room. Gibbs sits up, being careful not to jar the cat's wounded leg, and accepts the steaming cup of coffee from her. He takes a careful sip and sighs in satisfaction.

"You may not have been a Marine, but you do make a good cup of coffee."

Laurie sets the tray down on the bedside table and gently picks up Samson. The cat protests as she puts him down on his pillow but she quiets him with a small dish of the omelet cut up in cat sized pieces. Gibbs watches her in silence, noting the patience that she has with the animal, the gentleness that belies the warrior he knows lies inside.

Gibbs has noticed that every time they've shared breakfast Laurie doesn't drink coffee, yet she makes a damn good cup of the brew. Laurie looks up at him, sees the slight confusion on his face and smiles in understanding.

"I don't like the taste. I love the smell, especially first thing in the morning, but could never acquire a taste for it, even after 20 years in the military." She gives him a cheeky grin from across the room as she says, "Besides, the milk keeps my hair white."

They finish eating and Gibbs gently picks Samson up so that he can carry the cat downstairs. Laurie follows with the breakfast tray and smiles as she sees the way Gibbs treats the old feline. Gibbs sets the cat down just outside the kitchen door and watches as the animal heads for the nearest bush. Samson finishes his bathroom routine then decides to stay outside for a while longer.

Gibbs steps back into the kitchen and refills his coffee cup, never taking his eyes off the cat. Laurie finishes the few dishes and walks up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist as she follows his gaze to where Samson is now sleeping. Gibbs blinks hard a few times as old memories surface. Good memories, fond memories, memories of a happy time with Shannon, Kelly and Samson.

"Who is he, Jethro?"

"I don't know. He came wandering into the yard one day, a year or so before Shannon and Kelly died. He wouldn't leave us, wouldn't leave me. Even when they died, he was here, trying to comfort me in the only way he knew how. I turned him out, almost forgot about him until last night."

"The nameplate is your work."

He nods as he remembers the day that he'd cut it out, then stamped it with the cat's name. "Kelly was so surprised, she hugged me for almost five minutes that day." That's when his family had known that Samson could stay and Gibbs wouldn't say no.

"They were killed a few months later. I came home and somehow he wormed his way inside, then found me downstairs. I don't remember much more other than the feel of his fur under my fingers, as I cried for my family."

Laurie looks at the pet door, knowing immediately that Gibbs is the one who'd made it. She softly walks over and lifts the flap so that Samson can enter the house once again. Gibbs watches the sleeping cat for several minutes before asking, "He will wake up won't he?"

Laurie once again wraps her arms around Gibbs waist, hugging him silently as she says, "He will, he just needs to sleep for a bit. The healing cocoon is working on him and it works best when the occupant is asleep."

"You think he'd be willing to drive down to Dad's with us?"

"If you want I can make it so that he'll sleep during the drive. That way we don't have a cat yowling the entire distance."

He nods as he tries to figure out if he has a pet carrier that they can put Samson in. He knows for certain that he doesn't have anything in the basement that can be used. Gibbs reaches down and takes her hands in his, pulling her around to face him. He swallows hard a few times as he realizes what he's going to ask her to do.

"Would you be willing to teleport us all to Dad's?"


	3. Chapter 3

Stillwater, Pennsylvania:

Jackson Gibbs is up early, smiling at the birds as they waken with the sun's rising. He pours himself a cup of coffee and leans against the open doorway, as he revisits the phone call from his son. The last time that Leroy had called to tell him about a special friend Leroy had introduced him to Shannon.

Jackson smiles fondly at the memories of Shannon and Kelly. He wonders briefly what the new woman in Leroy's life is like before he wanders back to his kitchen to prepare for his day. For the rest of the day, Jackson Gibbs has a smile on his face, not a rare thing for the genial man, but it's slightly broader than normal and more than one of his friends and neighbors comments on it. Jackson refuses to answer their questions, saying only that he's had some good news. He's not going to say anything until he's met the person that has finally breached the walls around his son's heart.

Residence of L. Jethro Gibbs:

Laurie is pleasantly surprised by Gibbs request that she teleport the three of them to his father's house. She is tempted to say yes but instinct tells her that they need the drive. She shakes her head and tells him, "We can actually talk on the drive down there. It would also be easier on Samson, if you really want to take him with us, if we drive."

If she hadn't mentioned the cat, Gibbs might not have agreed with her. He looks back out under the bush where Samson is still sleeping.

"I have to finish up some paperwork and let DiNozzo know that we'll be gone all weekend. How about I meet you back here by noon?"

Laurie smiles her acceptance at his decision and exchanges kisses with him before he heads back upstairs to dress for work. Laurie continues to watch the cat, sensing when Gibbs comes up behind her to press a kiss to the back of her neck.

"Careful, Jet, or I might not let you leave."

"Jet?" he's slightly amused by the newest abbreviation of his name, but coming from her, he's not offended by it.

"Just hurry back to us."

Gibbs nods and heads out the door. Laurie waits until he's gone before teleporting to Colorado and her own home. She knows that she has at least one animal carrier in the house as she's used to helping the forest animals that stop by to visit. She checks her back porch first, and finds the carrier without even trying. She sighs as she thinks about the days ahead and the meeting with Gibbs' father.

When she'd gotten married to Rick all those years ago, his family had already been dead, and so she'd never had to worry about meeting them. The thought of meeting Jackson Gibbs may not have her quaking in her shoes, but she is a little nervous. She leaves the carrier where it is and heads upstairs to pack a quick bag for their trip to Stillwater. Coming back downstairs, she does a quick inspection of the house before picking up the carrier and teleporting back to Gibbs house.

Gibbs drives into the Navy Yard at his usual breakneck speed. For the first time in years he's actually looking forward to the drive that will take him to his dad's. Before he does that though, he has to finish up the paperwork that he's been putting on hold for the past few days. He stops downstairs long enough to deposit the Caf-Pow for Abby in the forensic scientist's refrigerator.

Thanks to a new program that Tim McGee has created, Gibbs is able to get through his paperwork in less than an hour. He forwards the results to Vance along with a quick note letting the director know that he's going to be at Jackson's for the weekend.

His cell phone rings and he grins as he reads the name, "Hey Leon you're up early."

He listens to Vance for all of thirty seconds before hanging up. He's in too good of a mood to let the other man spoil it now. He finishes typing assignments for the rest of the NCIS teams, forwarding them to the team leaders before leaving the office. Heading downstairs he sees _**his**_ team arrive. He may not be team leader anymore but he still considers those three particular individuals as his team. DiNozzo, McGee and David are his team, and more importantly they're his family. Which is why he feels the need to tell them where he's going.

"Hey!"

They all turn to look at him and he quickly tells them that he's heading for Pennsylvania. They start to grab their backpacks when he says, "Not you guys. This is personal."

All three agents smile at the statement. Apparently their combined head slap from the day before had worked.

_The previous day:_

_Tony had gone up to check on Gibbs, concerned because the ex-Marine wasn't acting like himself. _

"_Just what did happen while you were in Japan, boss?"_

_Gibbs doesn't answer right away and Tony watches carefully to see what Gibbs is actually doing. His boss has pulled out an old deck of playing cards, probably left from as far back as either Jenny Shepherd or more probably Tom Morrow. In the center of his desk, Gibbs is constructing what looks to be an old fashioned boat or battle cruiser. Tony looks closer at the cards and the design on the back. _

"_You're reconstructing the Enterprise?"_

"_Got a problem with that DiNozzo?" _

"_Ah, no boss, no problem, just think it's kinda cool that's all. You gonna show Donny when you finish it? You know he's head over heels about boats and ships right now." _

"_When he's not listening to Uncle Tim tell him medieval stories that is."_

"_You did a pretty good job yourself there King Jed." Both men look at the doorway startled. Gibbs accidently touches one card that he hadn't intended to and the entire thing crumbles._

"_Way to go McDestroyer."_

_Tim McGee shakes his head at Tony's newest nickname for him. He's gotten over the annoyance that used to follow on the heels of Tony calling him anything but McGee. He knows that in some weird way, the nicknames were Tony's way of showing affection. Of course since Tony became the Lead Agent of the MCRT, he hasn't used the nicknames. The fact that he's doing so now is an indicator of the concern he has for Gibbs. (He's using it to get Gibbs out of his doldrums.)_

_Tim reaches over the desk and slightly adjusts a few cards so that the ship is once again stable. Tony and Gibbs both blink as they realize that the ship is almost complete. Gibbs looks at his youngest agent who even after all these years manages a slight blush. _

"_Dad used to create ships out of cards. It was the one thing that he and I could connect with. I might never be able to step on board a ship but I could help him build a card replica." His voice is soft with sorrow and regret that he'll never be able to do that with the gruff Commander McGee again. _

_Tim clears his throat as he blinks away unwanted tears. "I have that report you wanted boss. At least you wanted it two weeks ago. I'm not sure if you still do."_

"_Which report is that McGee?"_

"_The financial background of Laurie Fields. I forgot that I had a search engine going on it and put it on a back burner. This is what came up."_

"_Have you or anyone else read it?"_

"_It's possible that Abby read it boss. She was there the night you originally asked us to run the background check."_

_Gibbs thinks about the talk he'd had with Abby when he'd gotten back from Japan and some of the information she'd had now makes sense. He considers confronting Abby and realizes that the Goth is probably expecting him to do just that. _

"_It's okay McGee. I know what I need to regarding Laurie Fields. She said she'll tell me when she gets back. I have to trust that she will." _

"_Okay boss, I did want you to know that the restaurants are all legitimate and she is financially stable. If you ask her nicely she might even take you to her home. Holly told me that she has a beautiful house in the mountains above Aspen."_

"_And when are we going to hear wedding bells McGroomy?"_

"_Holly wants to talk to Laurie first before we set anything in stone." Tim blushes as he realizes he's just confirmed that he's proposed to Holly Breaker. _

_Tony comes over and shakes his hand before pulling him into a hug. Gibbs just looks at the two younger men and smiles at the sons he's never had, the brothers they should have been. _

"_Congratulations Tim. Let me know when the date is and I'll arrange the time off for you."_

"_Thanks boss."_

_Ziva peeks around the doorway, knowing by the looks on the men's faces that McGee has finally given the others his good news. _

"_So you are going to tell us what happened in Japan, yes?"_

"_No. What happened in Japan stays in Japan."_

"_You fell in love with her and do not want to admit it." Ziva's tone is matter of fact. The two younger men look from her to Gibbs. The older man has his hands over his eyes as he contemplates everything that he's been through in the last month. He stands up and walks towards the window, staring out at nothing in particular._

"_Why do you not admit it Gibbs? You do no one any good denying it." _

"_Denying it means that Shannon and Kelly—"_

"_Shannon and Kelly are dead Gibbs, and do not glare at me in that tone of voice. You know that I speak the truth when I say that perhaps for the first time in years, you are happy yes?" _

_They've all seen the looks that have crossed the boss's face. The faint smiles and smirks at a memory none of them have access to. _

"_It's too soon. Neither of us has the time it takes to commit to a serious relationship." _

_By mutual silent consent all three of his agents are behind him and simultaneously Gibbs-slap him. Gibbs blinks in surprise at the wake up call. No one aside from Mike Franks and Laurie has ever slapped him, until now. For the three of them to do it at once is unheard of. _

"_I take it that means all of you approve of the lady?" His icy blue eyes glare at the other three people in the room all of whom nod. Laurie had arrived shortly after that and Gibbs had taken her back to his house where she'd heard the soft cry when Samson had fallen out of the tree_

Gibbs looks at Tony who nods at the silent request to tell Abby what is going on. Gibbs heads back for his house stopping briefly to fill up the car and to get some supplies for the trip.

(A/N: Next chapter we finally get to see what happens when Laurie meets Jackson Gibbs.)


	4. Chapter 4

_(Jackson and Laurie finally meet) _

The drive to Stillwater passes uneventfully. Laurie and Gibbs talk about Samson for the first few miles then start to discuss their own relationship.

"I told you last night that the second 'b' stands for bastard. Dad takes offense when I say that too often."

"You weren't always close to your father."

He shakes his head no as they continue driving. He tells her about the shock and anger he'd felt when his dad had brought a 'date' to Shannon and Kelly's funerals.

"I just couldn't handle it at the time. I think in a way I tried to put the blame for their deaths on him. Not literally, just…I can't really explain it."

"You'd just lost the two loves of your life and he shows up with someone new in his. I can't say that I would have done anything different if I'd have been in your shoes. Of course, with my own mercurial temper I might have found a new way to test a hypo right then."

He looks over at her, at the mischievous look in her eyes. "A hypo?"

"Mmm. Yeah, according to most of Dawes Guys, it was my preferred weapon of choice."

Gibbs glances her way once again. She's smiling at a memory and he can guess that it's something to do with one of her former teammates. As he thinks about her last statement, he remembers the fact that she was not just a Navy SEAL, but she was a trauma surgeon too. Add on the title of chef/restaurant owner and the woman beside him is one hell of a combination. Which brings him to his next statement.

"You know that I don't have a 9-5 job. Sometimes we don't get out of there until midnight or later."

"And my restaurants are open until 10pm. On the nights that you have to work late, I will too. Or we can work something out so that you come in as I go to work. I'm not going to runaway from this Jethro."

"So you say." The words spill out before he can stop them.

"Pull the car over." Her request is met at first with a look then with acquiescence. As soon as the car pulls to the side of the road she turns on him. For the first time since he's met her, there is fury in her eyes.

"I don't know who you think I am, but I am not **any** of your ex-wives or even your ex-girlfriends. I know what you are, and what you can be. I know what I am. I also know what I'd like us to be, but if you don't think that we can do this then let me know now, so we don't waste anymore of each other's time."

He slowly smiles and she realizes he's set her up. He'd deliberately goaded her into revealing her feelings.

"You--"

"Bastard?" He asks as he pulls her into his arms. There's a soft mewing from the backseat and they pull apart. Samson is staring at them through the door of the pet carrier. Laurie looks at the cat in a bit of surprise. She leans over the seat to open the door and Samson leaps onto the front seat sitting between the two of them.

"He okay?" Gibbs watches as Laurie runs her hands over the cat's body. Samson sits still as she finishes her inspection, licking her palm when she's done. Gibbs notices that it's the palm with the scar and the slight shiver that runs through her when the cat's tongue scrapes across it. He files the knowledge away for future reference. He knows that she's said it tickles when someone touches her there, and wonders if it could be something more.

"He's fine, but he really should be back in his carrier." She stares at the cat who stares back at her, daring her to put him back inside that thing. Gibbs says nothing as he starts the car and pulls back onto the highway. Within minutes Samson is sound asleep, curled up in Laurie's lap.

"It's kinda weird the way he came back." Gibbs muses, forgetting temporarily that he has a human companion.

"He never left you Jethro." He looks at her uncomprehendingly.

"He hasn't shown himself since I put him outside, after Shannon and Kelly died."

Laurie pets the cat as she says, "It's possible that he didn't want to be seen. Animals are sensitive in ways that humans aren't. He could have sensed that he wouldn't have been welcome then."

Gibbs nods slowly as her words penetrate his skull. He knows in some instances he would have welcomed the appearance of the cat and yeah she's probably right. Samson was a reminder of Shannon and Kelly. Until recently, the cat would not have been a welcome sight.

They continue talking quietly until they reach the town of Stillwater. Gibbs pulls up outside of his father's general store and isn't a bit surprised when the door opens and Jackson Gibbs steps out. He'd known from the moment he made the call that his father would be waiting for them to arrive.

"Hello Dad."

"Son, good to see you."

Laurie opens her car door and Jackson holds out his hand to help her out. "Welcome to Stillwater. I'm Jackson Gibbs, but you can call me Jack"

"Nice to meet you Jack, I'm Laurie Fields."

Samson meows from his perch on Laurie's shoulders. Laurie smiles as she says, "This is Samson."

The cat peers out from the heavy fall of white hair, much to Jackson's delight. "Leroy, don't tell me that this is the same cat that you had all those years ago."

"Appears that way, Dad."

"Well, young lady, and cat, would you like the nickel tour?"

Samson meows his approval and the three humans laugh. Gibbs grabs Laurie's hand as they follow Jackson inside the store. Jackson notes the hand holding and hides a tiny smile. He bustles to a shelf and pulls down a can of tuna. Samson raises his head when he hears the can open and smells the canned fish.

"Merrrow." He butts his head against Laurie's chin and she gently places him on the counter so that he can eat his fill. Jackson watches the way she keeps a hand near the cat and raises an eyebrow. Gibbs nods towards the back, and the two men walk towards the backroom.

"She's a pretty one Leroy; I take it that she has some sort of connection to the cat?"

"Nope."

"Then why is she hovering over it?"

"Ask her yourself, Dad." When Jackson moves to do just that, Gibbs mutters, "Not here, Dad."

Jackson steps back to where Laurie is watching over Samson. The cat is washing his paws, then rubbing his paw over his face as he grooms himself. Laurie teases the cat by telling it that he missed a spot and gently running a finger by the cat's ear. Samson swats at her with his paw and she laughs at him.

"Didn't take you for the type to hurt animals."

Laurie sobers immediately. She turns to Jackson and says, "I'm not hurting him, I'm making sure that his leg is healing properly. He hurt it the other night."

"I wondered why Leroy brought a cat along on the trip."

"Samson was injured the night that Jet called you. And bringing him with us was Jet's idea, not mine."

"He okay with you calling him Jet?"

"Well, he hasn't Gibbs-slapped me for it yet." She smiles as she senses Gibbs' soft footed approach.

"That's because you'd slap me back." He wraps his arms around her and watches in vague amusement as his father realizes that he and Laurie are serious about each other. He kisses Laurie's cheek then tells his dad to show Laurie the town.

"I'll lock up in a few minutes."

"Okay son, is the cat coming with us or with you?" they all turn to the cat who is ignoring all three of them.

"He'll leave when I do." He's not sure why he says it, but Gibbs knows that the cat won't leave his side now that they are in Stillwater.

"Please Jack, show me your town."

"With pleasure. Now you know that we are a mining town, and that not everyone took to the mines. I went into business with my best friend L.J. and that's how we started the general store."

"That's who you named Jet after."

Jackson laughs at the nickname she's given his son. "I still can't get over the fact that he allows you to call him Jet. His mama tried that once and he read her the riot act."

Laurie shrugs, "He's not a teenager anymore where any nickname you give him can be an insult. That or he's mellowing in his old age."

Jackson snorts at the last comment. "My son is many things mellow is not one of them."

Laurie waits until they get to the gazebo in the center of town and they're both sitting down before turning to Jackson and asking him, "So what exactly do you want to know, Jack?"

"How did you meet him and manage to break through that shell that's encompassed his heart for the better part of twenty years and three marriages?"

Laurie shakes her head as she replies, "I honestly don't know Jack, and I'm not trying to lie here either. I first met Jethro five weeks ago, when I went to D.C. to tell one of his agents that his parents were dead."

"Young McGee? I remember his mentioning that his parents were still alive when Leroy's team first came here."

"Yeah, anyway I went there to find Tim and Sarah, to give them the bad news. I met your son at that time."

"And, what else happened?"

Laurie knows now that while Gibbs might have learned part of his interrogation techniques from the Marines or Mike Franks, a good deal was learned from the man sitting beside her. She sighs and runs a hand through her hair, not at all sure where to begin. To her surprise, Jackson takes her hand and inspects it.

"You are or were a warrior. You are a healer, and you care for my son. I guess I should be satisfied with that. I can count on one hand the number of times that Leroy has called to tell me he's bringing someone special home. I can also tell you that he's only done so one other time, which was the day he introduced Shannon and Kelly to me. You're in good company as far as I'm concerned young lady. I just want to know how you did it."

"By being herself Dad." Gibbs is standing behind her, and one hand automatically reaches for her shoulder, letting her know that he's there if she needs his support. Looking into his son's eyes, Jackson knows that the time for answers has passed and that he'll have to wait until they are home before he gets anything more.

Samson jumps into Laurie's lap, butting her hand with his head. Instead of petting the cat, she picks him up and hands him to Jackson. Then she gets to her feet and starts towards the parked car.

"Leroy? What's wrong?"

"Nothing Dad, she's just grieving that's all." He quickly gives Jackson the rundown on what all has transpired in the last five weeks.

"Four funerals in two weeks? Most women would be crying their eyes out by now, and most men would be out shooting something."

"She's had a lot of responsibility riding on her shoulders. That's another reason I brought her here, so that she might be able to finally relax."

"You really do love her."

"Yeah, I do."

"You gonna tell her someday soon or let her escape from you?"

"Oh I plan on telling her Dad, just not sure where or when would be the best time and place. As for her escaping, I couldn't stop her if she wanted to go."

"I take it that's a conversation for later too?"

"Yeah, Dad, that's a long conversation for later." They lengthen their stride to catch up to her and they all drive to Jackson's house. Once they arrive, Jackson tells Laurie to go on in as he doesn't lock the house; the store is close enough that he can keep an eye on it if he feels he has to.

As Gibbs brings out the two bags, one that's his and one that's Laurie's, Jackson looks at him.

"She travels light, doesn't say much, you beat her boy?"

"No Dad she's ex-military, special ops if you must know. She could probably beat me up if she really wanted to."

Gibbs hands one of the bags over to Jackson as he pulls out the cooler he'd tucked into the trunk on the way home from the Navy Yard.

"Whatcha got there son?"

Gibbs grins as he leads the way into the kitchen, "Supper if I can talk her into it."

Laurie is looking around the kitchen with approval and smiles when the two men enter the room. Gibbs puts the cooler on the table and opens the lid. Dry ice is sitting inside along with some chicken and other frozen items. Gibbs looks at his father and asks him where his pasta is.

"Same place it's always been, Son. What exactly are you planning on having her make?"

"Chicken Alfredo." Laurie and Gibbs say simultaneously and Jackson can tell that there's a story behind the meal too.

"It's the meal that made him realize that even if I do own four restaurants, I still know how to cook."

"Five now, with the one that Holly's managing." Gibbs reminder makes her smile.

"Just checking to see if you could still add in your old age."

"You see what I have to put with Dad?"

"Mmm...Yeah I'd say you have no other choice Leroy." Jackson hands his son a package of spaghetti saying, "Time to start disciplining her with the wet noodles."

They all laugh and the men sit down while Laurie continues preparing the meal. Samson comes inside and twines himself around Gibbs feet. The man picks him up and starts petting him much to the surprise of his father. Jackson doesn't say anything though as he watches his son interacting with the cat.

Soon, Laurie has the chicken prepped and in the refrigerator. She grabs the vegetables out of the cooler and puts them in the top of a double boiler ready for steaming. Then she starts her alfredo sauce.

Heavy cream is poured into a cast iron skillet, followed by some lemon juice, grated parmesan cheese, and butter. The two men watch her noting the concentration she uses when she's cooking.

"She does this for a living you said? Damn, you'd better marry her son; if you don't I will."

"Yeah, I need to talk to you about that later Dad."

During this time, she's added some salt and pepper and some other obscure ingredient and neither man knows just what she added. Once the sauce is ready, she turns the heat down, in preparation for the chicken.

"Hey, why don't one of you macho men make yourselves useful and make us all a salad for the meal." She stares at Gibbs who is still petting Samson. Samson meows softly when Gibbs gently puts him on the floor before he stands up and washes his hands. He then hands his father a loaf of bread.

"Here, Dad slice it lengthwise and she'll create some garlic bread for us if you ask her nicely."

"Yum! Do we get cheese on it too?"

Laurie and Gibbs exchange smiles and Laurie nods in agreement. Within minutes, the meal is ready and they all sit down to enjoy it. Jackson takes Laurie's hand and then reaches for his son's hand too, as he joins them together for a quick prayer.

After the meal, Gibbs ushers Laurie out of the kitchen, "You cook, I clean remember?" He sits her on the porch and puts Samson in her lap telling the cat to keep an eye on her. Samson has a full tummy and promptly curls up and falls asleep in Laurie's lap. Laurie leans back in the chair and watches the sunset, never noticing two sets of blue eyes as they watch over her.

"She's special to you Leroy."

"Yeah, Dad, I just don't know how to show her. I mean, what do I get a woman who's had the same life I have?"

"What do you mean?"

"She lost her husband and her unborn baby within weeks of each other. Dad, the kids, Kelly and her son Ricky, they'd be almost the same age. She's been in the military for the last 20 years, and has been in black ops for most of that time period."

"Have you noticed anything lately son?"

Gibbs stares at him blankly, a rarity in any case.

"You hold hands with her, you put a hand on her shoulder, you put your cat on her lap to keep watch over her, that's telling her something, or it should be. You sleep with her yet?"

"Dad!"

"I'll take that not only as a no, but also as a sign that you care about her."

"You don't understand. We're married, her father soul-bound us in marriage just before he died."

"What's soul-bound in marriage?"

Before his son can answer Laurie does, "My father, bless his soul, wanted desperately for me to find someone who could meet me on an intellectual, spiritual, emotional level. He chose your son as my husband. Your son, regardless of what I tried telling him, insisted on going through with the ceremony, and my father died a happy man."

Jackson rubs a hand along his chin as he takes in what he's been told. He knows his son all too well and there is no way in Hell that Leroy Jethro Gibbs would just willy-nilly accept a marriage to any woman whether there was a man gasping out his last breath or not. This woman means something to his son, whether he realizes it or not.

He watches as Laurie sits down on the arm of Leroy's chair. His son casually reaches out and pulls her into his lap, threading the fingers of one hand through her hair while the other clasps her left hand in his. Jackson Gibbs fights tears as he sees the caring and love the two young people in front of him have for each other. He gets to his feet and motions for his son to stay sitting as he finds the item he's looking for.

Jack doesn't know what had prompted him to pull out the photo album, now he's glad that he did as he flips to the photo that he wants and brings it over to the other two. Gibbs is shocked and tries to prevent Laurie from seeing the picture, but she keeps a hand on his and looks at the photo that Jack is handing her.

Gibbs glares at his father who ignores him as his father watches Laurie's reaction. Her left hand tightens in Leroy's as she sees the love and devotion that is depicted in the photo. Shannon and Kelly are draped around Leroy Jethro Gibbs who is dressed in jeans and a pale blue polo, and they're all laughing at something unseen.

"I've seen that look again, tonight, here in this house. You, Leroy Jethro Gibbs were laughing and smiling and almost as carefree as you are in that photograph. You two kids love each other, and by God it's time that you both recognize that fact. Hell, even the cat knows that you two are meant for each other or else he wouldn't be here."

He points to their joined left hands, even though they aren't wearing wedding bands, their hands are clasped together. "You tried to protect her from some of your best memories, Leroy, and I'll bet in her own way, she's been doing that for you too."

They both look at each other then at Jackson who sighs as he sits down again. "You two care so deeply that you're afraid of hurting each other, since you both know what it means to lose not just a spouse but a child."

He stands up and heads for the staircase that leads to the bedrooms.

"Think about what I've said, and I'll see you both in the morning." Jackson walks slowly up the stairs, accompanied by Samson. The black cat meows softly when they get upstairs and Jackson allows him entrance to his bedroom. He stares at the cat after he gets into bed and says, "It's up to the two of them now."

Samson says nothing just watches the doorway, listening when the door downstairs opens and closes. The cat closes his green eyes, knowing that his favorite person is safe and that it's time for him to sleep.

Downstairs, Laurie lightly eases out of Gibbs lap and extends her hand to him. He takes it and finds himself hauled to his feet and led out the door. He says nothing as he wraps his arm around her waist and leads her down the sidewalk. She leans into him slightly, and he keeps his arm around her as he shows her the town of Stillwater after dark. Once they arrive back at Jack's house they continue their silence as he leads her to the room he always stays in when he's visiting. Jack sees the light come on and moments later turn off again in his son's room and sighs content in the knowledge that at least for tonight his son isn't sleeping alone.

_A/N: I realize kinda long chapter but wanted to try to get the day all in one shot. Next chapter will be up hopefully this weekend if I'm lucky (in more ways than one.) Thank you for those who've been reading, wow, over 200 visitors in the first three chapters, amazing. For those few who've reviewed, my heartfelt thanks. You've kept me writing and the plot bunnies hopping. _


	5. Author's Note

Authors Note for Samson:

Just a quick note for those readers who've been following Samson and want to know how Gibbs actually met Laurie Fields, please read my stories titled Knights of the NCIS Table. They meet in Tim's tale and their relationship progresses in Gibbs tale. While Tony, Ziva, Tim Gibbs and Ducky all have separate tales, the primary stories with Gibbs and Laurie are Tim's and Gibbs. Thanks for reading! Tigyr


	6. Chapter 6

Dawn comes and with it a bright sunny morning. Jackson Gibbs rolls to his side and stares at the green-eyed cat that hasn't left his bed yet. The old man smiles as he remembers the light going on and then off in his son's room. While he hadn't heard any music from the bedsprings in Leroy's room, that doesn't mean there wasn't any loving going on.

"We can always hope for the best, right Samson?"

"Merrow." Samson pads over and butts his head against Jackson's chest. The old man laughs and obliges the cat by rubbing the animal behind his ears. There's a soft knocking at the door and Jackson sighs. Leroy's knocking has never been that gentle so he knows that his son isn't his visitor.

"Jack, would you like some breakfast?"

"What are you doing up so early young lady and where is Leroy?"

"Behind her Dad, and she's like me…an early riser."

Jackson looks at both faces, sees nothing that indicates they'd spent the night making "mad, passionate" love to each other. He sighs and leads the way downstairs, not seeing the hand that snakes around Laurie's waist, pulling her into Gibbs embrace long enough for a kiss. He doesn't see the palm that lightly brushes the back of his son's neck, making the younger man utter a slight growl as Laurie heads down the stairs behind Jack.

Jack sighs as he eats the last bite of his pancakes. He leans back in his chair and watches the other two. Laurie is teasing Leroy with the last of the bacon. His son finally grabs her wrist in a gentle hold, as he directs the bacon into his mouth. Laurie looks down at Samson who has his paws wrapped around her other wrist as he chews on his own piece of bacon.

"I'd almost swear you two," she looks pointedly at Gibbs and Samson, "planned this."

Gibbs looks at her innocently as he continues chewing his bacon. Father and son put the dishes in the dishwasher while Laurie puts on a fresh pot of coffee. Afterwards, they adjourn to the living room and Jack looks at his visitors before asking his son what his plans are for the day.

"Not sure, Dad. Might take her up to meet Mom. If that's okay with you."

Jackson clears his throat with difficulty. Leroy has never introduced any woman, including Shannon to his mother. Jack nods his approval and waits until the other two leave before weakly sitting down. Samson jumps up into his lap, mewing in concern.

"I'll be okay, Samson. Leroy has never asked my permission to take anyone to visit his mother. Just took me by surprise is all."

The cat responds by putting his paws on Jack's shoulders and rubbing his furry face against Jack's. Samson then curls up and goes to sleep in Jack's lap. Jack is unaware of the tears that are flowing from his eyes. He falls asleep still stroking the cat.

Meanwhile, Gibbs escorts Laurie out to the car. She looks at him when he doesn't immediately start the engine.

"You don't have to do this you know."

"Yeah, I do. She deserves to meet you and you her."

They drive in silence to the cemetery. When they get out, Laurie immediately crosses to Gibbs side, sensing he needs the closeness, even if he won't admit to it. He puts his arms around her, hugging her close before he takes her by the hand and leads her to his mother's grave.

They kneel in front of the grave of Amelia Gibbs. Laurie hands him some flowers that she'd picked from Jack's garden. As he lays them down, Gibbs says, "Mom, I'd like you to meet Laurie. You'd like her Mom; she's got what you call spunk. She even knows how to get me to open up, like you used to do. She's little unorthodox in her ways, but you'd like her Mom."

He lets out a deep breath as he continues his conversation with his mother. Laurie stays beside him knowing that he needs to let everything out while he can.

"What she doesn't know is that I need her Mom. It wasn't until she let me go that I knew I'd found the woman that I need to complete me."

_Two days before -- just prior to meeting Samson again:_

_Silence, it seems to drown out the buzzing in his ears. He hadn't known how much he cared until she said something. He honestly had no idea that she had come back to set him free. Why would she do that? How could she do that to him? Didn't she realize how much he needs her? _

"_Don't go, please."_

_The pleading in his voice makes her turn around and finally look into his eyes. Hers are bright with her own unshed tears and he knows, he finally knows that she hadn't wanted to set him free. She was giving him the option. _

"_I don't want you to leave, now or ever. Stay with me." _

_He's extending his hand, almost begging her to stay. Her glance follows the hand up to his face, reading the sorrow and anguish that her words have caused him. _

"_What happens if I do? Do you ignore me? Do you pretend that we're just friends when we both want to be more? Or do you say what's in your heart, and give us the chance to be together? I can't take much more of this, I'm strong but I'm not that strong."_

_He steps closer, gently putting a hand over hers. He tugs her towards him, leans down and presses a kiss to her lips. _

"_Forgive me; I have no excuse other than fear. I was, I am afraid to love again. After all that's happened, I'm scared that I'll lose you too and I'd rather it happen sooner than later."_

"_There's always that possibility, but if you don't give us a chance, we'll never know what we could have accomplished together."_

"_I just…"_

"_Shhh…" she lays a finger on his lips, lightly caresses his cheek before looping her arms around his neck, pulling him down for a kiss. _

"_You sure you don't have the power of persuasion as a gift?" His wry comment is met with soft laughter and a slight brushing of her hand against the back of his neck. The sensation sends tingles to the bottom of his toes. _

"_No, but I do need to tell you something."_

"_Something bad?"_

"_Depends on your point of view." _

"_That view being?"_

"_The ceremony, where my father bound us together in marriage. It wasn't a simple marry me now divorce me in two weeks."_

"_I know."_

"_It was a soul binding…you knew?"_

"_Mmm. I think that even then I wanted a way to stay with you, to be part of you." _

"_Tom and Tabby thought that you didn't know."_

"_I didn't, not at first. While you were sleeping that night, after you'd trusted me enough to brush out your hair, I started thinking about everything and realized that I'd misinterpreted the ceremony."_

"_As long as you don't start feeling trapped."  
_

"_You've given me more freedom in two weeks than any other woman in my life, except Shannon." _

Laurie smiles at Gibbs as he finishes telling his mother everything that he's left inside for the last umpteen years. When his voice stops, she looks up at him, at the tears that are coursing down his cheeks. She gently brushes them away with her fingertips, before looking at his mother's grave. She leans forward and gently caresses the letters outlining Amelia's name.

"I have only known Leroy Jethro Gibbs for a short time, but it's all the time I needed to fall in love with him. I know that he's stubborn, and short tempered, at times; I know that he cares for those he dares to let into his life, when he lets them in. I love him, Amelia, I will for a long, long time to come if he lets me."

Where there had been no wind previously, a slight breeze wafts over them, caressing them lightly as in acceptance of what has been said. Laurie gets to her feet, and extends her hand to Gibbs. He winces as he stands up, and she nods in sympathy, knowing that his arthritis is trying to kick in.

"Sucks getting old, doesn't it?" Her question is met with a slight smack to the back of the head and she chuckles. "Yep, definitely a sign of foreplay."

"We get back to D.C. I'll show you foreplay," he growls playfully before nipping at the back of her neck. The nips turn to nuzzles as he caresses the back of her neck with his lips. She leans into his embrace, closing her eyes at the sensation of being in this man's arms.

Ring-ring, ring-ring…

***

A/N: yes I am a cruel woman…mwaahahahahahah. On a brighter note, I should have the next update by the end of the weekend. Reviews are always welcome


	7. Chapter 7

_(A/N: I realize that Abby is slightly out of character here, but it's necessary for the story.) _

Gibbs curses fluently at his cell phone before flipping it open and barking, "Yeah, Gibbs."

"Sorry, Boss but I need you back here ASAP. Abby's locked herself in her lab and we can't get her to open the doors."

"Well, patch me through to her, DiNozzo."

"She's cut off all outside links. I'm not sure what triggered her this time boss, but we need you here now."

Gibbs sighs in frustration, knowing that not just anything would send his forensic scientist into what the others lovingly called "meltdown mode."

"Alright DiNozzo I'll be there in four hours. Let me get cleaned up first."

"You alright boss? Didn't interrupt you during anything important did I?" Tony's slight joking tone falters at Gibbs response.

"Just talking to my mother DiNozzo."

Tony's quiet as he realizes what Gibbs just told him. "Sorry boss. I'll let the others know you're on your way."

Tony hangs up and Gibbs sighs in defeat. Laurie looks at him, knowing that their private interlude is over. He gives her a brief sit-rep, before escorting her to the car and driving them back to town. He tells her on the way in that he'll be back later that night. He just needs to get Abby out of her lab.

"I could teleport you there."

"No, but thank you. I want you to stay here with dad for a few hours, get to know my old man. I'll be back tonight and you'd better be here waiting for me."

"I can come back with you."

"No, I need to know that at least one of us is somewhat relaxing tonight."

"Okay." At her downcast tone, he steps back to her side. "Hey, I need you here. I need to know that you're safe with dad. Or maybe that he's safe with you."

"You do know how to stroke a girl's ego, Jet."

He gives her a grin that could only be described as sexy as he tells her, "If I get there early enough I can get back to you and be stroking more than your ego."

She grins back at him, not bothering to tell him that with teleportation they could be there, get Abby out and have the entire evening ahead of them. She lets him go, lightly stroking the back of his neck in a reminder of what will be waiting for him when he returns.

She looks at the car, sees he's missing something vital and asks him to wait another five minutes. She's back in three with a full cup of hot steaming coffee and a thermos of more. He gives her a quick kiss of thanks before sliding behind the wheel and screeching out of town.

"That boy never did know the meaning of town driving." Jack is waiting beside her, a cup of tea in his hands.

"It's alright, I wouldn't want him any other way." Laurie smiles at the man beside her and loops her arm through his as he escorts her back inside.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs smiles at the image in his rear view mirror, his dad leading his…wife. Gibbs pauses a moment to think about that word. He is …he is married. He can actually savor the words married and wife again. He's not feeling trapped like he did when he married then divorced his last three wives. Stephanie, Diane and Kassandra. He groans when he thinks of Kassandra and Diane. Those two alone had cost him more in alimony than he cared to remember. As for Stephanie, he's hoping that she's finally found the happiness that he'd been unable to give her.

He's tempted to turn around and go back to Jack's so that he can spend the rest of the weekend with Laurie, but too many years as a Marine, and then as the leader of the NCIS teams keeps him on the road.

Four hours later, he pulls into the Navy Yard sighing as he wonders just what is wrong with Abby now. He gets into the elevator and hits the button that will take him to Abby's lab. Reaching the lab, he looks around, wondering what's wrong when it hits him…Abby's playing a funeral dirge.

Gibbs rolls his eyes as he imagines what he's going to find next. Sure enough, Abby is sitting in her lab, hunched over one of the computers as she stares blankly at the screen. Gibbs knocks once then uses the key that only he and Vance have. There are some privileges to being the assistant director after all.

He walks in and turns down the music. Abby doesn't even bother turning around. "Hey Gibbs, you know that she's trying to trap you into marriage now? The ceremony that you described to Tony the other day is a bonding ceremony. There are ways out of it though, I'm researching them now."

Leroy Jethro Gibbs stares at his forensic scientist in disbelief. He'd told her weeks ago to drop any investigations into Laurie and her background. Fury starts to cloud his mind and he can hear a faint *Jet?* in the corner of his mind where that bond Abby is talking about is forming.

"You're suspended. Pack up and leave this building, I don't want to see you in here for the next two weeks."

Abby smiles at him, clearly not taking him seriously. "Come on Gibbs, who you gonna get to take my place? I keep telling you that she's not the right person for you. You're gonna believe me one of these days; maybe when she hits you up for that fourth alimony payment."

Red doesn't begin to describe what he's seeing. He flips his phone open and speed dials Tony's phone, barking at the other man to get to Abby's lab and escort her off the Navy Yard.

Back in Stillwater, Laurie stops in midsentence and stares off into space before turning her attention back to Jackson. The older man tells her that if she needs to go, then to do so, and keep his son safe in the process. Laurie kisses him on the cheek and shakes her head. She'd promised Gibbs that she'd stay with his father and she's not about to break her word.

She smiles as she realizes that she can still help him even from Stillwater. She mentally contacts Holly Breaker and fills her in.

*I can take some lunches over there, give you a report once I'm in there.*

*Please, do so, he's so pissed off right now that red is a mild color.*

*On it boss, four meals coming up.*

Holly quickly boxes up four lunches and heads for the Navy Yard. As she and Tim have been seeing each other for almost a month now, the guards are used to seeing her and wave her in after the usual search.

The elevator dings as she steps in and she sees Tony escorting Abby out of the elevator. Not wanting to get into the middle of anything, Holly waits until the other two have passed before getting on the elevator and pushing the button for the bullpen.

When the elevator dings, Ziva and Tim both look up expecting to see Tony or Gibbs. Holly smiles as she sees recognition dawn in their eyes.

"Hey guys, my boyfriend works here and I was wondering if he'd like some lunch."

Tim quickly rounds his desk and helps her unload the boxes onto Tony's desk. Ziva sniffs at the boxes appreciatively and Holly hands her the top one.

"I remembered that you liked Chicken Alfredo. Hope it works for lunch."

"You did well, considering we have not met for almost a month." Ziva's not trying to accuse, but to compliment Holly for remembering. Holly nods at her.

"It's one of the requirements that we all have when we start at the restaurants. Pick a few clients and remember their favorite dishes so that all they have to do is smile and we know what they want."

"What if they change their minds and order something else?"

"It's usually an easy fix. We try not to overplay the favorite thing, but we know for example that Tony would prefer a thick crust pizza with pepperoni, sausage and extra cheese. He likes the meat lasagna and will occasionally eat the vegetarian lasagna if the company he's with doesn't want to compromise."

"Wow, you got that from a few visits from us?"

"That's one reason that Laurie's successful. She remembers her clientele. They in turn remember that she cares enough to find out what they like and she knows within five visits what you don't like too."

"How did you two ever meet?"

By now they're all gathered around Tony's desk eating the lunches that Holly had brought. Gibbs enters the room, and stops when he sees the blonde head that resembles the woman that he'd left in Stillwater. Ziva glances up and nudges Tim with her knee, letting him know that Gibbs is in the room.

Tony exits the elevator and sniffs the air. He smiles at the team gathered around his desk, but his steps falter when he sees Gibbs just standing there, in the middle of the room, looking for lack of a better word, lost.

Tim's eyes connect with Tony's for just a split second. At a slight nod from Tony, Tim stands up and offers Gibbs his chair. The older man comes over and sits down and the team finishes their meal. Once they're all finished, Gibbs looks at Holly, wondering why she'd come.

"Laurie promised you that she'd stay with your father. She didn't say she wouldn't provide backup for you."

Tim looks at Tony who says, "Guess that means you're part of her team now boss. Or she's part of our team."

Gibbs stares at them before heading upstairs to his office. He has to file the paperwork on Abby's suspension and he's not looking forward to the task. A soft knock at the door gets a lackluster, "Yeah, enter."

Tim steps in with a folder in hand. He hands it to Gibbs who opens it and reads in mild surprise the suspension letter he'd been trying to create in his mind. Tim stands aside to let Tony and Ziva in as he tells Gibbs, "She broke the rules boss. We all know it, and accept it. We stand behind you on this one hundred percent."

Tony and Ziva nod as they gather round Gibbs desk. The older man is slightly flabbergasted by the support of his MCRT. Before he can say anything, they all step forward and shake his hand, before heading back downstairs to the work they'd been neglecting. Tony stays behind, knowing that his boss is going to have some questions.

"She gone, Tony?"

"Yeah, Boss, I escorted her off the premises myself."

"I thought we had gotten through to her. That she was finally starting to accept Laurie as a permanent fixture in my life."

"Boss, I hate to tell you this, but Abby's kinda blind where you're concerned. She sees what she wants and will do whatever it takes to get things her way. She did it to Tim when they were still together and she's doing it to you too."

"Tony, that's a little harsh don't you think?"

"No, not since I took over the MCRT. I've had a chance to see what she does, how she operates and manipulates things so that you never had a chance to find love before now. Hell if it hadn't been for McGee's parents getting killed; you might never have met Laurie."

"Sure you don't wanna marry her DiNozzo?"

The sarcasm makes Tony flush with anger. "You know, if I had the ability to teleport I'd have gone against your wishes and been right here by your side to take Abby on. Instead that lady called in backup for you. She honored your wishes boss, how many of your other wives did that?"

Gibbs blinks at the tirade from his Senior Agent in Charge. Tony's actually glaring at him. There's a sound from the doorway and they both turn to see Ziva and Tim standing there.

"Tony is right Gibbs. Had it been any of us, we would have disregarded your orders and come back here." Ziva's dark expression is echoed by Tim's next words.

"Boss, they're right. We're your team, but I don't think any one of us would have been able to resist coming to your side. The fact that Laurie was able to do so, well, I'd say that means she not only knows how to follow orders, she knows how to backup her teammate too. It may not be an orthodox way of doing it, but she still had your six."

Gibbs smiles softly to himself as his team, his family defends Laurie. He puts his glasses on as he signs off on Abby's suspension. He sighs as he realizes they really don't have another forensic scientist on the team and looks at the others.

Tony is able to read his concern and hands him three files. When Gibbs looks at him Tony just shrugs and says that Tim had helped to find available personnel.

"We have your six Gibbs." Ziva's soft words are followed by nods from the other two agents. There's a knocking at the door and Holly peeks around. Gibbs sighs as he asks her, "How can we help you Holly?"

She steps into the room and hands him yet another file. "My boss says that since she's partially responsible for your forensic scientist getting suspended that this person might be able to fill for the few weeks that Abby'll be gone."

****

A/N: Yes, I did leave it this way on purpose…I want reviews…lol.


	8. Chapter 8

_**(Finally some alone time for Laurie and Gibbs) **_

Gibbs smiles at the thought of Laurie saying she's responsible for Abby's suspension. The Goth had brought the suspension on herself by continuing to dig into Laurie's past when he had specifically told Abby not to.

_Two weeks prior: _

"_Abbs, as a special forces unit there are things we can never know about, you should know that by now. The fact that you ran her DNA, even after we found out that her team was black ops, I admit to being disappointed."_

_  
"But Gibbs, her clearance level shouldn't be above yours. She's not old enough to have that high of a level. She's as old as Tony is for cryin' out loud."_

"_Older, but only by a couple of years. The fact is Abby, I know who she is, I trust her, and now you need to trust her too."_

_Abby nods slowly and extends her hand to Laurie who smiles as she shakes hands with the Goth. Laurie looks up at Gibbs to make sure he approves as she invites the Goth to dinner with the rest of the team. Abby shakes her head no. she needs some time to accept all that's happened in the past few hours._

Obviously Abby had gotten into her head that she needed to continue investigating Laurie. Why she had chosen to do so, well that's something he'll address when she comes back in two weeks. In the meantime, he has to find someone to take her place. He starts to glance through the files when three hands take away the folders.

Tony looks at him, "You took Laurie to meet your dad, go spend some time with her, Gibbs. I'm sure that between the three of us we can isolate who we think best suits the team. We'll get interviews set up for Monday morning starting at 09:00."

Tim and Ziva nod their agreement. Holly looks at him and offers to teleport him to Stillwater so that he won't have to make the long drive back. Tim looks at Holly who blushes as she realizes that she hasn't told him that she knows how to teleport others including herself.

Gibbs smiles at the couple and graciously accepts Holly's offer. He really didn't want to drive back only to have to drive again tomorrow. He knows that he should have taken Laurie up on her offer to teleport him, but in a way he's glad that he didn't. If he'd accepted her offer, Abby might have found a way to hurt her and he really didn't want to think what he would have done to the Goth if that would have happened.

A quick blink and he's standing in his dad's living room. Laurie and Jackson are sitting in the easy chairs, talking he's fairly certain, about his misbegotten childhood. Samson wakes up from his napping place on the couch and leaps into Gibbs arms. Jack smiles as Laurie stands up and hugs his son, cat and all.

Gibbs returns the hug and exchanges glances with his father. Both men know that it took all of Laurie's willpower to follow Gibbs orders and stay behind. Gibbs hands Samson to Jackson and pulls Laurie outside with him. Jack steps over to the bay window watching them both.

"Thank you, for today. I know it was difficult not to follow me. I could sense you there with me, trying to keep me from strangling Abby."

"She's had you for a lot of years, Jet. She's used to being your number one girl. And yes, I was hard pressed to stay here, but you had entrusted Jack to me so I stayed put."

"You could have teleported yourself and Jack there."

"Yes, and would your trust in me have ended then? You had asked me to follow one simple order. I did so, but I also gave you backup when it was needed."

"You didn't have to do that." His soft chiding is met with serious lavender eyes as she nods her head.

"Yes I did, I failed my team once, I'm not about to do so again." He not sure if she's referring to Holly's parents or something else but trusts that she'll open up to him eventually. They walk back inside and Gibbs looks at Jackson who is snoring in his easy chair. Samson is curled up on Jack's lap snoring his own kitty type snores.

Gibbs and Laurie smile at the two sleeping bodies and Laurie tugs Gibbs arm, leading him into the hallway. She looks one more time at the sleeping Jackson Gibbs before looking into Gibbs eyes and asking, "Will you trust me one more time today?" Gibbs nods and she smiles softly before teleporting them both away.

Back in Stillwater, Jackson Gibbs smiles as he pulls out his son's cell phone. He'd managed to grab it when Leroy pulled a light comforter over him. He'd suggested earlier that afternoon that if Laurie wanted to take his son away someplace more private than even Stillwater, she had his permission and blessing.

"You love my son, even if he doesn't acknowledge it yet. None of his team would have stayed with me this afternoon. You did, knowing that you could easily have gone to his side and taken out Abby. Instead you heeded his wishes. I don't know if you realize it yet, but that's one of the biggest signs of trust you've given my son to date."

"How so Jack?"

"You trusted his judgment and at the same time, you told him that he can trust you, whether it's with me or with an assignment. I think we both know that if you two want any alone time, you won't get it here. We'll have to arrange something so that when you get a chance you take him wherever you need to go so that you two can finish that talk you'd started. And we'll find a way to make him lose that damn phone too."

"He's the assistant director of NCIS, he needs to be available."

"That may be Rule #3, in his book, but it does neither of you any good if he keeps getting called away. Take him away, teleport him someplace that's virtually impossible to get to and spend the next 24 hours with each other. I'll watch over Samson while you're gone."

"You are a devious man Jackson Gibbs; may I have the honor of calling you dad?"

At her question, Jack lights up like a Christmas tree. He pulls her into his embrace, telling her, "I'm the one who will be honored. Take care of my son, Laurie; he needs someone like you in his life."

Samson comes over leaps into their combined arms. Laurie laughs at the cat knowing that he's showing his approval too.

***

Gibbs looks at his surroundings and knows immediately that he's not in the Washington area anymore or Pennsylvania either. The house he's standing in, and he's fairly certain that it's a house, looks out over a meadow. He turns, looking for Laurie who is standing to one side.

"Your place I take it?" He keeps his voice level as he continues looking around. She nods and leads him outside. The meadow is larger than he'd first thought. He steps further out and turning around catches his breath. The house is built into the side of a mountain. The siding is painted in such a way as to camouflage it from prying eyes.

He can hear the babbling of a nearby brook or stream and follows the sound. A small overgrown footpath leads him to the stream of cold water. He shivers and realizes that while he's been standing there, clouds have covered the mountain sun and a slight breeze has picked up. He turns and heads back towards the house.

To his surprise Laurie isn't waiting for him at the door. He wanders through the doorway, into the kitchen, and still no sign of the woman who'd brought him here. He walks a little further and finds her building a fire in the fireplace. He smiles, and vaguely remembers seeing that chimney cunningly built so that it appears to be nothing more than rock until one sees the smoke emanating from it.

She turns to acknowledge his presence, knowing he'd been there for a few seconds. She smiles up at him from her position on the floor and he knows he hasn't seen a vision like the one before him in decades. He steps closer and she motions towards the couch. He sits down and she snuggles up next to him. He puts an arm around her, kissing the top of her head as he watches the fire. Laurie pulls an afghan around them and they fall asleep listening to the sound of the fire.

Two hours later, Gibbs slowly wakes up. His stomach rumbles and he hears a faint chuckle from his shoulder. Sleepy purple eyes blink up at him as she says, "Feed the body first then the soul, Cook."

"You make a habit of talking to yourself?" his hand reaches out to caress her face as she pulls up, out of his embrace. He shivers slightly at the loss of her body heat. She places the afghan over him as she kisses his lips.

"Only when I'm cooking, or need to be." She nuzzles his nose and he runs his hands along her arms before she finally pulls away. She saunters into the kitchen and he pulls the afghan a little tighter as he takes advantage of her absence to get a good look at the room.

Hand drawn pictures cover the wall behind the fireplace. Crystalline sculptures adorn a curio shelf on the left wall; the right wall is almost bare as it is the entryway to the kitchen. As his curiosity gets the best of him, he drapes the afghan over the couch to inspect the pictures closer. He can tell that the pictures are fairly old; the paper despite the glass covering them is yellowing with age.

The pictures are of two different teams, one from what he can remember, the men and women of Dawes Guys. The other he's guessing is her SEAL team. As he looks closer at the second team, he feels someone coming up behind him. He slowly turns around and sees Laurie standing there with two cups of steaming soup.

"Are those your teams?" He nods at the sets of pictures. She nods and pulls down the one that is a group photo, rather than individual. She names off the nine men from Dawes Guys, and the advisory board, and then points out the men from her SEAL team.

"Charlie Cutter, Blake McCarthur, S. Duncan Robertson, Adam Dreamscape, Jonathon Cassidy, Frank Abernathy, Benjamin Mitchell, Andrew Bakersfield, and Zachary Christianson. Joe Fields was our secondary medic and my uncle."

"You were a specialized team?"

"We were, as of today only Zac, Cass and I remain." The sorrow in her voice almost overpowers him. These men hadn't just been her team; they'd been her family as much as the MCRT is his. She carefully hangs the picture on the wall again.

Gibbs watches her, noting for the first time the strange calluses on her right hand. "You're the one who did all those."

She looks up from the picture she's staring at and nods in agreement. She walks over to the end table and hands him a sketchbook. She then walks back out to the kitchen, letting him thumb through the pages without interference.

The first few pages are scenic, and he can tell depict the area surrounding her house. The next few are of the men from her two units. The last pages however make him sit down, hard. The pictures are of him, and they aren't recent. Sorrow is etched in the one photo, sorrow so deep he knows it had to have been drawn during the time he'd lost Shannon and Kelly.

The next is one with him and Ducky, shortly after their first meeting. He's laughing at something the M.E. had said, and Ducky is laughing along with him. The following pages contain all of his agents, including Mike Franks, Caitlin Todd, Jenny Shepherd, Michele Lee and Brent Langer.

The last three pages are his current MCRT. In the first one Tim, Tony and Ziva are standing in the bullpen, probably during one of Tony's campfires as he calls them. Palmer is stepping out of the elevator and Abby is sitting on McGee's desk, staring at his computer screen. The second one has the team retired for the evening at a restaurant, with Sarah and a baby Donny.

The final picture is of Gibbs and his dad. They are talking on Gibbs back porch, and in the trees is a cat. A cat that oddly enough resembles Samson. Gibbs looks at the date on the sketch and sees that it's from two years previous. Gibbs stands up and walks into the kitchen. He silently hands her the sketchpad, waiting for an answer.

***

A/N: Yep I get to make you wait for the answer…once I figure it out…lol. Thank you to all who've been reading and reviewing. You keep this author writing.


	9. Chapter 9

Laurie takes the sketchpad and places it on the table, as she tries to find the right words. Gibbs, with an insight he didn't think he had beats her to it.

"Recognition? Souls meet, when eyes do? How Laurie, where would we have met that long ago?"

His questions are similar to the ones she's had for almost 20 years. Why did she know this man, his pain and sorrow? Why did she feel his grief, his joy when she couldn't remember ever meeting him prior to her bringing the McGee's and Breaker's corpses back home?

Laurie stares at him, not sure how to answer him. She's been wondering for years why she felt something so strong for a virtual stranger. She shakes her head, unable to answer him and he grabs her shoulders.

"Where would we have met? Is there any one place that we could have even glanced at each other?"

"Jet, we're both military. We could have met on any military transport, any military base, at any hospital."

"I haven't been active military since Shannon and Kelly died."

"I have never been stationed here though. I mean, in the D.C. area. My team, we were sanctioned out of Coronado. You said that you've eaten in my restaurants. The one in Aspen and the one near L.A. are the two oldest ones. I could have seen you then."

Gibbs thinks hard about the times he's been to California. He knows he's been there several times, not just as a marine but also when he'd gone down to avenge his family's deaths.

"Where were you in 1991?" His question makes her think for all of two seconds.

"Bringing the guys home, setting up The Compound and establishing the L.A. _Knotted C._

"In that order?"

"Yeah that exact order. Why?"

"I was in Mexico avenging Shannon and Kelly. I don't remember much about that time period."

"So, it's possible that due to the extremes we were both under we passed each other and never really met."

"According to the story I read Kelly if one didn't fulfill recognition, they could die. Why didn't we?"

"Didn't you? When you lost Shannon and Kelly didn't part of your soul die? And my soul was still grieving too. You however had the more recent grief; it wouldn't accept or attach itself until you could harness the grief."

"Okay that explains why I'm not dead what about you?"

She cocks her head to the left as she ponders his question. "I know that during that time period, I had my hands full. We were establishing the Compound, a building set outside of L.A. for war vets and their families. I was back and forth between the USA and Okinawa for most of the year. I also set up _the Knotted C_ in L.A."

He steps closer, rubbing the shoulders that he'd come close to bruising. His eyes are steady on hers as he asks, "What happened?"

"I almost lost Mo and Cat. I couldn't find enough energy to heal them. I tried everything I could think of, even praying."

"Yeah, that doesn't always work." His bitterness isn't as deep as it had been all those years ago, but he's still not sure he believes anymore.

"Something worked. I remember stopping at the restaurant, making sure that Mac had everything in hand."

A dusty pickup truck had driven by. Laurie had stepped outside to make sure the window decals were on straight. She'd briefly glanced at the pickup as it passed and saw just a glimpse of bitter, angry blue eyes as the driver looked at her without seeing her. The truck turned and she'd put her attention back to the restaurant.

"I don't remember seeing you." His soft confession is met with understanding.

"You were hurting too bad to see much of anything that wasn't your target. Let it go Jethro. We're both alive, and we have something stronger than recognition."

"What?"

"Love."

The simple one word answer is echoed in her eyes. He briefly shuts his eyes as he rests his forehead against hers. He pulls her closer still, wrapping her in his arms.

"We wouldn't have had this back then would we?" He's questioning the closeness they both feel for one another. She shrugs, not knowing the answer to that particular question.

"We have it now, and that's all that matters."

He sits her at the wooden table, noting for the first time that it's oddly similar to the one in his own house. The one he'd made after Shannon and Kelly had died. Unlike his, this one is made of highly polished cherry wood where his is white oak. Like his, there is a partition that when inserted correctly makes the table sit six or eight not four. The chairs are similar in design too. Again all made of cherry, but each with a high back and optional seat cushions.

"We echoed each others designs?" He's taking in the layout of the house now and knows why it felt so familiar when he walked inside; it's almost a mirror of his own. Admittedly hers has a little different décor and the one wall is gone. He looks at her in wonder.

"I built mine with Shannon just a few months after we got married. There's no way you could have known."

She smiles faintly, "My original house is many miles downstream. It was destroyed in a flood while I was overseas. I had this one created a few years ago."

"You aren't worried about a mountain falling down?" His skeptic tone is matched by the look in his eyes.

"Nope, I have a spare now, over in the Washington D.C. area I hope." Her eyes aren't masking the fear that he'll turn her away, now that he knows she's been bonded to him for longer than two weeks.

He cups her face in his hands, bringing her in for his kiss. "Did you know when we met, that we--."

She shakes her head. "I didn't even think about it, until I got home and found my sketchpad."

"That's why you tried to warn me off the marriage. You didn't want me."

"No, I've wanted you for 20 years. I didn't want you to feel forced into it, I still don't want you feeling like I'm forcing you into something you don't want. It's why I told you that you're free." Her last words are a whisper and tears are running down her face.

"You know that it could kill us but you'd let me go anyway."

"I can keep you alive. I know how to protect you from the bond. You can still have your family, your life, your friends even your cat if you want."

He smiles at the last reference to Samson. "Well, if I can keep the cat, why can't I keep the woman that saved us?"

He wipes her tears away as he says, "I told you the other day, no woman with the exception of Shannon has ever given me this much freedom to make up my mind. I don't want you to go. I need you in my life. I want you to stay with me, be my wife."

By this time he's on his knees and holding her hands in his. He kisses the back of her left hand before turning it over and putting a small black box in it. She opens the box and knows the reason he'd taken her to Stillwater. The rings are identical, made of solid platinum and winding around it are two thin stripes of gold.

"I know that Tim is asking Holly to marry him when we get back. Would you do me the honor of marrying me? Not a soul bonding but a real marriage this time, with my family present and yours?"

She lays a hand on his head, caresses his cheek, deliberately drawing out her answer, "Can we make Samson the best man?"

***

A/N: Mean Tigyr…leaving it there. Merrow, yep that's me…heheheh…mwaahahahahahah.

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	10. Chapter 10

She lays a hand on his head, caresses his cheek, deliberately drawing out her answer, "Can we make Samson the best man?"

Gibbs throws his head back and laughs. He stands up and pulls her to her feet. He pulls her into a hug then picks her up. She loops her arms around his neck and he walks back to the living room. The fire is starting to die and he looks at her silently asking if she wants to stay down here or move upstairs.

"Let's stay by the fire, I can get a few blankets and we'll be nice and toasty all night long."

Gibbs nods as he sets her on her feet. She heads for the stairs and he's again reminded of the similarities between their two houses. He steps outside and picks up an armload of wood, noting that it is mostly oak and ash, the type that will burn for a long time if tended properly.

Laurie comes back downstairs, laden with pillows and blankets. As she sets them on the couch, Gibbs stokes the fire just enough to keep it burning. He sets the grate in front of the fireplace and turns to face her. She's closing the door to the laundry room, as well as drawing the curtains over the bay window.

"You do this often?"

"Sleep by the fire yes, with a companion, no." she comes back to his side, runs a hand up his arm. She draws him over to the couch and has him help her push it back a bit. She then lifts off the cushions and pulls out the sofa's bed. Gibbs groans when he thinks of sleeping on the bed then sees that she's pulling the mattress off and tucking the bed back down again.

Within minutes the mattress is covered with the downy blankets and pillows. Laurie flops down and reaches a hand up to Gibbs who slowly sinks to the pile. He smiles as he realizes that she'd made the bed just the right firmness.

"How'd you know?"

"You don't honestly think I'm going to kill my back on that thing over there do you? Besides, I can watch the fire better from this view." She cups his cheek with her hand, "Kiss me Jet, I missed you this afternoon."

"Me too, I should have had you teleport me." he winces as he says it, not wanting to see an I told you so expression on her face. She strokes his nose, bringing his gaze down to hers.

"I'm equally glad that you didn't. It gave me and Jack some quality time to talk."

"Oh boy, what did he tell you this time?" he finally flops beside her, enjoying the feel of the bed beneath them. She rolls over so that she's balanced on his chest, eye to eye with him. Deciding to shelve the conversation until later, she kisses him before ducking her head and resting it on his chest.

He glides his hands up and down her arms as she nestles close to him. One hand comes up and starts playing with her hair, soothing it down her back and she sighs in contentment. Gibbs subtly shifts so that she's lying beside him and continues the gentle caresses. He knows that his dad took his cell phone and for once is grateful for the old man's interference. He has time to explore this woman beside him and he's going to take advantage of it, and maybe her too if she lets him.

A soft sigh brings Gibbs gaze to her face. Her eyes are closed, and contentment is all he can read on her face. His hand drifts up and caresses her lips and she smiles at the contact. Her eyes open and she catches her breath at the intense look on his face.

"Jet?"

"My mother tried to call me that, and she failed. Why does it sound right on your lips?"

"I'm not your mother and you love me so it all sounds right." Her eyes are smiling as she says it and he shakes his head at the saucy look she's giving him. He kisses her eyes closed, followed by kissing her nose then her lips.

"Jet? Make love to me tonight."

***

A/N: I've decided to keep my rating down and not go into a long drawn out love scene. Chapter 10 should be up by this weekend, as well as updates to Rising Knights and Tony's Salvation. (Looks around wondering when she became like Precious Pup, Smartkid37 and Emerald1, some of Tigyr's favorite authors, writing more than one fic at a time.) Reviews are always welcome. Thank you to all who are reading and reviewing.


	11. Chapter 11

_"Jet? Make love to me tonight."_

Gibbs wakens quickly for a man who'd just spent two hours making love to his wife. His wife. He grins to himself as he remembers that Laurie had said yes to marrying him. At least he thought she had. He hides a chuckle as he imagines carrying a cat into a church to be the best man at their wedding. Jackson will laugh his butt off when he tells him.

Which brings up the question; why wouldn't his dad be his best man? Before he can start analyzing, a slight shiver brings his attention to the lady in his arms. As they are almost equal in height, he can almost, with the dying firelight make out her facial features. He starts tracing her face, memorizing the lines with his fingertips.

She shivers again and he looks at the fireplace. The last log is slowly dying out. He tucks the blankets around her as he rolls to his feet and puts on his jeans. He'd noticed some scrap wood on the porch and brings in a small handful to get the fire going again. He then adds another log, enjoying the heat as the fire takes off.

Laurie sleepily watches him, taking in the site of almost naked Leroy Jethro Gibbs. The firelight compliments his lithe frame and silver hair, making both shimmer and shine with the fire's glow. He strips out of his jeans and rejoins her in the bed, pulling her close.

Laurie savors the strong arms that are holding her against her lover's body. Callused hands are caressing her, reassuring himself that she's still by his side. She runs her own hands over his chest, watching the play of his muscles.

She presses a kiss to his chest and looks up into his shining blue eyes. He brings his hand up and runs it along the side of her face, tracing the lines, committing them to memory. He rolls to his side, so that he's facing her while she's looking at him.

He runs a finger along her eyelids, down her nose and over her lips. She gently nips at the finger and he taps her on the head, in a weak imitation of his famous slaps. She smacks his arm, and he brings his lips back to hers. He lightly brushes her lips with the faintest of kisses before suggesting that they go back to sleep. She doesn't protest as he protectively wraps himself around her, pulling her back against his chest. As they watch the fire crackle and burn, their eyelids droop and they fall back asleep.

There's no rooster to crow, but Gibbs internal alarm clock goes off at its usual time. As it's a weekend, the usual time is 06:00. Gibbs sighs as he wakes, being careful not to disturb his lady. He looks at the fireplace, and the log he'd put on is still burning. He can tell by the light in the windows that it's still fairly early and there are no birds singing yet, so he can imagine the time difference hasn't set in yet with his mental clocks.

He brings the blankets up over Laurie as he eases out of the bed. This is his favorite time of day no matter where he is. He pads to the bathroom for a quick shower and when he comes out, he can smell the coffee brewing. He wonders briefly if he'd woken Laurie up with his shower then realizes that the coffee pot had been set for this time.

He pulls a mug out of the cupboard, not even thinking about the fact that he hasn't set foot in this part of the kitchen before today. All he knows is that for the first time in many years, he's not only slept and woken rested, he feels like he's finally come home.

Snug in her blankets, secure in the warmth of their love for each other, Laurie watches as the man she calls Jet opens the kitchen door and steps outside. She stretches slightly, waking up sleeping muscles as she waits for Gibbs to come back inside. Somehow she knows that he needs a few moments of "alone" time.

Gibbs senses when she wakens, and when she doesn't immediately join him, settles back against the railing that encompasses the porch. He nurses his coffee as he watches the sun slowly start its ascent into the morning sky. The midnight blue horizon with its shimmering blanket of stars is gradually replaced with light blues and tinges of pink as the sun finally bursts out of its cloudbank and starts to warm up the day.

When he walks back into the kitchen, he refills his mug and looks around for his female counterpart. He can hear the shower running down the hall and knows that she'll be joining him soon. He sighs contemplating the day ahead, not sure if he really wants to leave when they've finally had some time to be together. Time they've needed to finish creating the bond that started forming over twenty years ago.

It's obvious to him that on her part at least, the recognition bond is there. The pictures of events in his life are just too coincidental for a man who doesn't believe in coincidences. The problem he's having is figuring out if it's possible that he was aware of her without it being obvious.

She steps into the hallway dressed in her bathrobe. She has a towel in her hands which she uses to sop up the worst of the water in her hair. Gibbs stares at her knowing now that he's seen her at least once prior to their meeting. He remembers dreaming many years ago about a woman dressed in a bathrobe, drying her hair and smiling at him as if he's the only man in the world.

Not a predatory smile; a welcoming, loving peaceful smile. At the time, he'd been half out of it with a concussion thanks to some mission that Franks had assigned him and had assumed that Shannon was the woman. He hadn't taken into account the platinum blonde hair, the muscled legs and arms. The one thing he hadn't forgotten were the eyes.

Admittedly Shannon's had been a deep sherry brown, but the dream woman, her eyes had been Laurie's; he knows that now. Those pansy purple eyes, he's seen them in several dreams and not known what the dreams meant. He'd usually woken up a little more refreshed than normal, but had accounted it to the job, or the hotel.

He steps towards her and she waits for him wondering what he's going to do or say next. She could so easily try and read his mind, but she's made a promise to herself that she won't do anything unless he asks her to.

When he reaches her, Gibbs takes her hand and leads her back to the living room. She'd put the couch back together and the blankets are all stacked on one side. Gibbs sits her down on the couch and kneels in front of her. Before she can say anything, Gibbs puts a finger to her lips asking for silence. She nods her acceptance and he takes a deep breath.

A/N: He's already asked her to marry him, what could he possibly want now?...wait and see…please read and review…thanks to those who do.


	12. Chapter 12

Samson--11

_When he reaches her, Gibbs takes her hand and leads her back to the living room. She'd put the couch back together and the blankets are all stacked on one side. Gibbs sits her down on the couch and kneels in front of her. Before she can say anything, Gibbs puts a finger to her lips asking for silence. She nods her acceptance and he takes a deep breath._

"I want you to try and find out if our bond is actually there. I'm remembering things that I thought were figments of my imagination. It's possible that you weren't the only one who found their soul mate that day. I had a dream years ago and you were in it, wearing what you have on now. You were a few years younger looking but the look in your eyes is no different than the one you gave me today when you saw me down the hall."

Laurie smiles as she thinks about the housecoat and the sentimental value it has. "It was a gift from Charlie and Margie. That was the first day they gave it to me…a house warming gift Margie called it. I keep it here so that I have something warm to wear when I get out of the showers as I seldom have the heat on in here."

She takes his hands into hers and looks straight at him. "You need to know that I do this because you ask me to. I will never go sauntering willy-nilly up to your mental shields and let myself in unless you allow it first. If I am needed to break my way through, it's because your health depends on my getting in there."

Gibbs nods and she stands up, rearranges the pillows and blankets on the floor again and has him lie down. As he stares up at her, trust in his eyes, she sits beside him and takes his left hand in hers. With her right hand she starts caressing his face, letting her soft touch take his mind away from what they plan on doing.

"You know Tony's gonna complain that he missed his share of the Vulcan mind-meld." Gibbs quip is met with a smile and she knows that he's almost ready for her to enter his mind. She maintains her position for five more minutes, waiting for him to relax completely before she enters the guarded mind of Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

As she's been in his mind once before (see a/n below) it's fairly easy to slip past his automatic defenses. She waits a few seconds to make sure he's aware of her mental presence before she enters any further.

She smiles when she sees the order his mind is in. Everything is neat and compartmentalized, sectioned according to year. From there, the year is divided into months and then days. It's almost like being in a library with the card catalog opening as she walks by.

Deciding to explore that part of his mind later, Laurie walks towards a darker area of Gibbs mind. This one she can tell harnesses the shock, denial, anger, red hot fury that is associated with Shannon and Kelly's deaths. She places a calming hand on that section as she walks by, noting the black pulse slowly backs down.

"Meow." Samson has managed to enter Gibbs mind and is waiting for her as she passes the black hole that encompasses Gibbs worst memories. She smiles at the black cat as he leads her to her quarry.

"Merrs…" Samson leaps up into her arms and she automatically catches him. She strokes the cat absently as she inspects the bond that links her soul and that of Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

"It's strong, Samson much stronger than that silly marriage ceremony my dad put us through."

"Merrow."

The bond isn't weak or paisley colored. It is a firm braid; the colors representing Gibbs and Laurie are brightly illuminated. Her purple/gold cord is entwined with his own silver/blue. Clearly the bond has been in place for a while now.

"But has it been here the full time we've been apart? How can it be, Samson that neither of us would know the other existed, yet we have a bond that strong."

She checked her own mind before stepping into his and the bond is almost identical to the one she's currently staring at. Samson reaches out with a paw to touch it and she gently lifts the paw before it can touch the bond.

"I know that it's a bright object, but touching it could knock both of us out." Samson curls up on her shoulders letting her finish exploring Gibbs mind. It occurs to her that she hasn't seen his mental figure since she entered and asks Samson if he knows where Gibbs is at. Samson gives her a stare, clearly stating that he's not a dog, as he leaps down and starts padding to the only section Laurie hasn't entered.

This section of Gibbs mind is clearer than most that she's entered, no lingering shades of death or grief are in this section. Instead it's filled with laughter and sunshine. She looks at the cat that just stares at her and keeps walking. She stops when she sees exactly what she's looking at.

The laughter and the sunshine aren't from Gibbs memories of Shannon and Kelly. Instead, the man is watching segments of Laurie's life. Segments that he wouldn't know about if they hadn't bonded all those years ago.

Samson bounds over to his favorite human and jumps into his lap. Gibbs smiles at the cat, and looks over to where Laurie is entering. He holds a hand up to her, encouraging her to join him. His ice blue eyes are steady when he faces her saying, "These are good times. I come here when I'm unsure of something. I just never realized that you were the one I was seeing."

Laurie sits beside him, leaning against him as they watch her past. There are several bright points; laughing with friends over dinner, celebrating her marriage, coming home to hugs from her friends after the war. More recent additions are walking with Gibbs, talking to Jackson and petting the cat that's currently sharing their laps. They watch for several minutes and Laurie knows that they've been bonded for most of the 20 years that they've been apart. She's musing over the fact that neither of them had been seriously sick, aside from Gibbs bout of amnesia, when he points to a memory.

This memory is one that he's been coming back to several times; for some reason this one strikes a chord in him. It's as if someone had told him about this and even after all these years he has trouble understanding why it had to happen. Admittedly it's funnier than hell, and that's why he likes it, but he can't help wondering about the background behind it.

"You have to explain this one to me. I have trouble believing anyone would do this in a warzone."

She looks at the scene and giggles.

A/N: For those who haven't read my Knights of the NCIS Table, Gibbs and Laurie first met during Tim's Tale. It's during Gibbs Tale Chapter 10 that the first mention of Laurie entering Gibbs mind is mentioned. As always reviews are welcome, and thank you for reading.


	13. Chapter 13

Samson Chapter 12

Gibbs watches her giggle at the scene before him. He's not sure why she's giggling just that she is. She calms down and turns to look at him.

"In order to understand this, you need to know that when this happened, we'd just found out that Cat and Mo were MIA. Dawes was freaking out because her support team was gone, and she couldn't focus on how to get a bunch of assholes to work together as a team. One of the main reasons the guys were part of that unit is that they'd all passed the tests that Dawes and the others put them through. As the last person in, even though I had transferred in, they insisted that I go through the tests too. My last test is that scene."

_KABOOM! The explosion rocks the base camp of the unit called Dawes Guys. Nine men react as one and assemble in the main barracks. Hawk, second in command, starts issuing orders. Mad Dog Mike, so called because he carries a suppressed mike 1-6 machine gun, heads for the nearest tree to take stock of the situation. _

_Cowboy checks the nearest cabin, which happens to be the one that Dawes usually inhabits. His commanding officer is no where to be seen. Not too unusual considering that she is normally up at four am anyway. He sends a quick telepathic message to Hawk regarding his finding. Two seconds later he gives a quiet yelp as Dawes materializes in front of him. He quickly brings the woman up to date on what they've managed to find so far which is absolutely nothing. _

_Blue Eyes and Magnum have been investigating the cabin that used to belong to their missing teammate Brian Morrison. Everything in the room seems to be in its original place. There is no sign of footprints or anything else. _

_Josher and Warrior, Taz and the Kid are checking out the perimeter and again finding absolutely nothing. With the base secured, the men all reassemble in the barracks. As they do so, Dawes looks around counting heads. "Where's Cookie?"_

_The guys all look at each other and shake their heads. None of them can remember seeing the tall blonde cook/medic. Hawk offers to go and check out the O.R. He pulls Cowboy with him making sure none of the others see the grin on his face. _

_Once they reach the O.R. Cowboy looks at him and asks him what's going on. Hawk shakes his head and says, "I really don't know, I just know that Cookie said she had something planned for tonight." _

_Actually, when he had talked to the cook earlier that day, he'd been surprised to find her sitting at a table with her feet up. "Her feet were sitting on the table. I was so shocked I almost fell over." _

_The cook was known for her fastidiousness when it came to both the O. R. and the kitchen. From the first day that she'd arrived, she'd set rules into motion. And one of the main rules was that no one had their feet on the table no matter what. _

"_I knew something was up. When I asked her about it all she said was that I'd need to be awake around four a. m. However, I did think we'd find her by now." _

_The cook's cabin is in pristine condition. She'd either not come back after supper or had cleaned up prior to getting ready for the morning's antics. The two men are surprised not to find her. They thought for sure that she'd be ready for bed after all of the hours in the O. R. and the mess hall. Cowboy suggests that they try the mess hall next, "She might be in there getting breakfast ready."_

_Hawk nods and the two men head back across the compound yard. By this time the other seven men have finished their security walk. Again, nothing appears to be out of place except for the missing cook. They all assemble outside of the mess hall. _

_Dawes nods to Hawk and he cautiously opens the door. At first glance, nothing appears to be out of the ordinary. The guys all file into the room and Dawes follows. Squish, squish, squish is the next noise that they hear. All of them look down in disbelief. The floor is covered with a sticky brown substance. Taz tosses a couple of light sticks into the room and from what is revealed the entire area is coated with the brown goop. _

_Frustrated, Hawk finally calls out, "Cookie where the hell are you?"_

_A large lump of brown goop rises from the middle of the floor right beside Warrior. The oldest member of the team, who rarely rises to the bait, jumps to the left and runs to the side of the room. As the older man starts cursing, Mad Dog reaches out a cautious finger and tastes the mixture. "It's chocolate frosting. Or something similar to it." _

_Hawk starts chuckling as he realizes that the cook is indeed covered with the muck that has coated the room. Before anyone can say another word, they hear a sound similar to rushing water. _

_They are all pelted with candy sprinkles for the next two minutes. Cookie looks around her in delight and says, "Gee, what do you know...it worked!"_

_Hawk can't help it, he roars with laughter. Part of it is relief that his teammate is safe, the other is the ridiculous looks on the others faces. From where he is, he can see all the other members. _

_Cowboy is trying hard not to laugh as he helps the cook to her feet. Warrior and Mad Dog are shaking their heads in wonder. Josher, Magnum and Blue Eyes are scraping a table off while laughing at the cook's wide-eyed expression. Taz and the Kid are staring around them in complete disbelief. _

_Dawes steps over to where Cookie is now sitting, and asks the other woman why she had done such a messy thing, and in her own kitchen no less. "After all, you're the one who keeps telling us that we get warm applesauce and cold oatmeal if we mess it up."_

_The cook shrugs her slim shoulders and smiles. "If I wasn't willing to clean it up, I wouldn't have done it. Besides, I have a reputation to maintain."_

_Dawes snorts in disbelief, "What reputation? The ability to be completely crazy? We're in a freaking war zone! We don't set off bombs in our own camp."_

"_Technically speaking it wasn't a real bomb. Besides, no one is hurt, we all get to eat chocolate for breakfast, and I proved that I can accomplish the supposedly impossible when I set my mind to it."_

_By now, Dawes has realized that someone or maybe a couple of people have dared the cook into making this mess. She glances around the room and locks gazes with Taz and the Kid. The two youngest men give a collective gulp and try to bolt out the door. _

_Warrior and Magnum stop them in their tracks. Dawes comes over to them and demands to know how they had convinced the cook to create a chocolate bomb in the middle of their camp while they were still fighting World War III. Cookie puts a chocolate coated hand on Dawes and asks her to sit down. _

"_They didn't do anything I didn't ask for and it is partly your fault too."_

_Dawes looks at her in indignation. "MY FAULT? How the hell is any of this my fault?"_

_Cookie looks straight at her, meeting the reddening glare dead on. "You're the one with the silly tests that we all have to participate in. I was just finishing up the final one in my list." _

_None of the guys speak. They all wait for their commanding officer to blow her temper or worse, fry the cook. Dawes blinks and asks, "Someone asked you to blow up the compound?"_

_Cookie smiles and shakes her head no. "They asked me to become the Pillsbury doughboy. Well, to see if I could mimic the commercial where he wheels out a can of frosting and it has a candle in it. The can goes boom the frosting goes all over the cake and the sprinkles come raining down a few seconds later." _

_By now, Hawk is doubled over with laughter and the others aren't too far behind. Dawes is still unhappy about the mess in the mess hall and starts assigning the men to help with clean up. When Cookie starts to protest, Dawes says that since the others wanted her to create the mess, they can help clean it up._

_The cook just smiles in agreement, and in silent satisfaction. With the addition of her latest test, she's managed to make a dysfunctional group of men start acting like a team._

She sighs as the scene changes to the one where she and Gibbs are talking on the porch. She stares at her hands, not surprised when he grabs her left one and starts tracing the scar.

"Why did you do it?"

"Because I could. They wouldn't listen to anything or anyone by this point. I had to do something to make them realize that if we work together as a team we could accomplish things. That was the turning point. Dawes came out of her stupor, and the guys started respecting the fact that while we were women, we were their teammates too."

"How was it a turning point? Who was your teammate?"

"In a round about way, I made Hawk my teammate. By telling him that something was going to happen, it showed him that I trusted him."

"Give as good as you got theory. Unusual approach but I see where it might work."

She smiles at him. "You know what it's like to be part of a team. So did I and I had to get them to start realizing it before we lost more than Cat and Mo. By doing that little demo, I showed them that not only could an enemy have gotten into camp, but that I was willing to do something to prevent it from happening."

"Did you lose any of them? Aside from Cat and Mo?"

"No, thank God for that favor too. I came close once, almost lost the two youngest when they were out on patrol. Took over 48 hours to stabilize them, another 12 to convince them to live. Yeah I don't wanna go through that again anytime soon."

"You care for them."

"I'm like that, and so are you. We care for our team. They become family when ours are taken away." Her words pierce him, and he knows that her teams are her family as much as the MCRT are his family. Samson purrs loudly bringing their attention back to the cat.

"Yes Samson, we consider you family too." Samson's purring gets louder at her words. The two humans laugh as they contemplate other scenes. Laurie finally stands up, knowing it's time to return to the real world. She has a lot to analyze and will do it in her own mind.

She gives Gibbs a hug and turns to enter her own mind not realizing that Gibbs follows her. SLAM! Her mental doors crash down, knocking Gibbs out cold. Laurie sways from the backlash that echoes along their mental bond. Any doubts Laurie had are wiped out, as she struggles to remain conscious. Only a true recognition bond would have that effect on both parties.

Laurie places a hand on her own mental bond, slowly sending healing energy to Gibbs. She then raises her shields looking for Gibbs mental figure. She finds him immediately outside her shields and kneels down making sure that he's okay. Verifying that he's bruised and not broken she gently lifts his mental and places him back in his own mind.

Outwardly, she's extremely glad she'd asked him to lie down before they'd started. If he'd been standing or even sitting when her mental shields slammed down, he could have gotten hurt. As it is, he'll be nursing a headache for a few hours when he does wake up.

Laurie opens her eyes, and runs a hand over Gibbs to make sure there is no lasting damage. She looks at the fireplace and sees that the log he'd put on earlier is almost out. She carefully gets to her feet, taking care not to disturb the man on the floor. She walks to the porch and picks up an armload of wood, knowing that they won't be heading back to Stillwater for several hours. As she doesn't have heating on in the house aside from the fireplace she wants to make sure that they stay warm until Gibbs is able to travel.

When the fire starts doing its merry snap, crackle pop she retreats to the kitchen after once again making sure that Gibbs is alright. As their mental conversation had taken only minutes in real time, only an hour has passed since Gibbs first stepped outside. The birds are starting their early morning songfest and she can see a deer as it runs to the safety of the woods.

She sighs and walks back inside to start a fresh pot of coffee for the man who occupies not just her home but her heart, mind and soul. She checks on him for signs of waking and seeing that he'll be out for a while yet, begins the preparations for breakfast.

A/N: Okay, I'll admit that the war scene is extremely farfetched but hey that's why we call it Fiction. Reviews are welcomed.


	14. Chapter 14

Samson Chapter 13

Gibbs wakes up feeling like he'd been run over by a freight train. His head is pounding and he doesn't immediately sense Laurie. He starts to sit up only to lie back down again. He moans as he tries again to sit up.

Laurie knows the moment he wakes. Luckily she'd thought to buffer herself against his pain, or she'd have been on the rolling on the floor too. As it is, his pain is causing her some discomfort and she quickly turns everything off in the kitchen so that she can assist Gibbs.

She pours a mug of coffee and takes it to him along with a specially formulated version of aspirin. She puts the coffee on the hearth then helps him sit up. From there she hands him the coffee and the aspirin.

"Take these, they'll help." Her whisper is almost too loud for him. He gulps down the aspirin with two swallows of coffee then stares at her when the pain is instantly gone.

"What the hell is in those?"

"I developed them during the war. As the main medic/cook for Dawes Guys, I couldn't afford to be hit with a migraine or any other minor inconveniences."

"Damn! You must have some killer headaches."

"It wasn't the migraines that tried killing me," she looks up at him no trace of laughter in her face. "It was the dust bunnies."

His latest sip of coffee is worn by the fireplace as he laughs. His laughter turns to a frown when she stands up and heads for the kitchen.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm finishing breakfast; pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs and your ever present coffee."

He nods as he looks at the spread on the table. "Okay that's my breakfast what are you eating?"

He laughs at the look of mock indignation on her face. He's coming to realize that one reason he likes this woman is her sense of humor almost rivals his own. He has one, when he chooses to let it be shown.

They're almost finished with breakfast when he finally asks her what happened. She sighs and explains. He's watching her face and has her left hand in his as she tells him why he'd been knocked out.

"Basically, you've never been in my mind before and it didn't recognize your mental imprint. When you tried to step inside, the doors essentially slammed shut and forced you out."

"When I did what?"

"You followed me back to my mind after our conversation. Try to think of it as you tried to escort me home and dad was there with a 2x4."

"Okay. I really did?"

"Yeah, and I'm sorry that I didn't warn you ahead of time. I'm not used to anyone following me these days; at least not mentally."

"Don't apologize; we couldn't have foreseen any of this."

He takes another sip of coffee while still holding her hand. She's put the engagement ring on and he smiles when he sees the small amethyst gracing her hand.

"My mom was like you in that she didn't like the fancy stones. Dad surprised her on their fourth date by taking her rock hunting. They found that stone and dad had the ring fashioned that same week. He proposed two days later."

He caresses the hand and the ring remembering that she'd said Samson would be his best man. "Mind telling me why my dad wouldn't be my best man?" he's almost hurt at the thought of Jack not wanting to be there, but his dad seems to love Laurie. It wasn't making sense.

She bows her head, "I was going to ask him, with your permission of course, if he'd like to escort me down the aisle."

Gibbs stares at her then remembers that all of her father figures are gone now. She has no one left to give her away with the exception of Margie Cutter. With Margie being so recently widowed, there is no guarantee that the woman will be there either. He tilts her head up so that her eyes meet his. "He'd better have a damn good reason for not doing it. Other than holding the cat that is."

They both start laughing at the mental image of Samson sitting proudly in Jackson's arms as he escorts Laurie down the aisle. That's when it hits Gibbs that he saw the mental image. He stares at her and she smiles at him nodding.

"Is there a way to keep from constantly knowing what the other sees?" he can see hurt start to fill her mind and her eyes and hastily explains. "I see a lot of death. I don't want to share that with you when you're serving someone a t-bone steak. I know that you've seen your fair share of death and dying, I don't want to bring it home with me."

She nods and they return to the living room where they add another log to the fire and lie down on their makeshift bed. Once he's relaxed she slips over to his mind. He's waiting for her and gives her a mental hug which she returns before leading him over to their bond. She extends his hand over it, saying, "Think of being in a C-130 without a headset on; that's our current bond. We see, we feel, we think of the other without conscious thought. Now put on a headset and all the noise is muted. Use whatever you want to as a buffer. Just imagine the bond as being quiet but not completely silent."

She smiles as he takes one of Kelly's hair ribbons and gently ties it around their bond. Instantly he can feel the difference. He knows that she's there, but it's a more subtle knowing. She's having the same feeling; he can see it in her eyes.

"When we're alone like this, that ribbon isn't necessary. Out in the field, yeah, use it, just don't break the bond or we both die…or get severely injured mentally."

He stares at her. "Concussions? Are they?"

She nods, "It's possible. I can see that you're thinking about what happened to you the last time you had one. No I wasn't involved or affected. I think that it's what we discussed earlier. Due to the grief that each of our souls has been dealing with, the recognition bond formed but not with the deadly side effects. Recognition, in our case is taking two lonely hearts and giving them a second chance at love."

"Fifth chance in some cases."

She rubs noses with him. "Well, we all have to start again somewhere."

She stays in his mind while he explores his new domain. He asks questions that she readily answers. Two mental hours later he's exhausted by the exploration and she calmly leads him to a mental bed. He stares at it before flopping down. When she goes to leave he pulls her back and quietly asks her to stay. "At least, stay until I'm asleep. I know that you have other duties while you're here."

She lies beside him, nestling close to him, glad that he's willing to let her stay with him. The duties that he's referring to, she took care of while he was knocked out so she has no plans on leaving him anytime soon. She makes a note to discuss his mental shields with him when he wakes up and closes her eyes too.

Physically, he pulls her closer to him as he slips into sleep. She rests a hand on his chest, and pulls a blanket up over them as she too falls asleep.

Four hours pass and when Gibbs next opens his eyes, he's clear headed. For the first time in years, he feels completely, mentally refreshed. He looks at the woman sleeping peacefully beside him and gives her a hug. He then slips out of the covers, heading to the kitchen and his next round of coffee. He brings his mug back to the living room and sits beside Laurie watching the flames in the fireplace. She stirs beside him and he waits until her eyes open before offering her a sip of his coffee. He grins as she wrinkles her nose. He has yet to understand how someone who hates the taste of coffee can make such a perfect cup every time.

"It's all in the wrist." She laughs up at him and he smiles in return.

They both sober when they look at the time. She sighs as places her hand in his and he helps her up. When they're both standing he looks her in the eye and states, "We are coming back here, often."

She nods as he starts banking the fire in preparation for their departure. She heads to the kitchen to wash up the few dishes they had used. When she's finished she joins him in the living room and they watch the coals fade from red to black. He steps behind her and rests his head against hers as he wraps his arms around her.

"I'll teach you about teleportation later. For now, continue to trust me."

"When it comes to this, always."

His words bring a smile to her face as she teleports them back to Stillwater.

Jackson Gibbs waits in his chair for the twosome to arrive. He's petting Samson who purrs in contentment. Jack isn't Samson's Gibbs, but he's a close second. Samson wakes up the moment that Laurie and Gibbs return. Laurie swiftly moves out of the way when she sees the cat launch himself at Gibbs.

"Hey Samson, did ya miss me buddy?"

A/N: Please read and review.


	15. Chapter 15

_Jack isn't Samson's Gibbs, but he's a close second. Samson wakes up the moment that Laurie and Gibbs return. Laurie swiftly moves out of the way when she sees the cat launch himself at Gibbs. _

"_Hey Samson, did ya miss me buddy?"_

Samson Chpt 14

Laurie and Jackson stay back while Samson greets his human. The loud purring, butting his head against Gibbs chin, frantic licking of Gibbs face, have both onlookers holding back laughter. Obviously the cat had been worried that Gibbs wasn't coming back this time. Gibbs is chuckling at the cat's actions. Once the cat calms down, Gibbs looks at his dad.

"You got a bag packed? We leave in an hour." Gibbs hides a smile at the incredulous look on his father's face. Jackson has cherished the few moments spent with the couple and hadn't been looking forward to the lonely week ahead. He scurries upstairs, and returns within ten minutes lugging his bags.

Gibbs looks at all the luggage and heaves a quiet sigh. He looks at Laurie who is petting the cat still lodged in Gibbs arms. She smiles at the question in his eyes and nods. She can send the luggage ahead of them if he wants her to. She rubs her nose against his and gets a lick on the chin from Samson as she does so.

She giggles at the sensation and steps back. Jackson brings down the last of his luggage and looks at the other two. "Well, when is take off?"

Laurie looks at Gibbs who shrugs. He has his cat, his dad and his girl, not necessarily in that order; he can leave at any time. Laurie turns her gaze to Jackson. The older Gibbs is almost vibrating with excitement. Laurie tells the men that she'll teleport the luggage first and then she'll teleport the rest of the family.

Jack looks at his son when Laurie takes his luggage and disappears; two minutes pass before she comes back. Gibbs looks at her knowing that something had to have kept her if it took her that long to come back. She smiles at them and he knows that whatever it was isn't serious.

"Anything wrong?"

"Nope, looks like you had another unexpected visitor though. Small, light on its feet, black fur."

They all look at Samson. The cat is asleep, blissfully unaware of their scrutiny. Gibbs asks if she saw anything else and she shakes her head no. She barely saw the little body hiding in the bushes. She'd made sure the kitten was alive before coming back for Gibbs and his dad.

The men gather close, each putting a hand on her shoulders and she teleports them all to Gibbs living room. On arrival, Laurie heads for the backyard to check on the kitten. She smiles when she finds not just the one, but two small black bodies, curled up asleep under the bush. Gibbs puts a hand on her shoulder and she looks up at him.

"They look like Samson did when he was a kitten."

At the mention of his name, the cat in his arms wakes up and carefully stretches, making sure not to harm Gibbs with his claws. Samson blinks a few times, and then realizes where he is. He lightly leaps down and edges under the bush where the kittens are sleeping. Not to their surprise, he calmly lies down by the kittens washing their fur.

Laurie starts to stand up and Gibbs is there to steady her. They watch Samson as he cares for his kittens. Jack comes to stand beside them and they watch as the kittens waken from their slumber and start piling over Samson, obviously glad to see him. One of the kittens has the barest hint of white on one paw and is clearly the leader of the two.

The other kitten while playful is also more cautious. Clearly this one is looking before leaping. Gibbs can't help comparing the two kittens to Tony and Tim. The one with the white paw reminds him of Tony and how he takes command of most situations, often leaping in without thought to the consequences. The other one, the pure black one, is more methodical, like Tim, as it watches, learns and plays, almost seeming to analyze its surroundings.

Samson stands up and walks over to where the three humans are, the kittens following close behind. Once they are within a few feet of the humans Samson reaches out and picks up the white-footed one by the scruff of his neck. Samson gently drops him at Jack's feet. He then proceeds to do the same with the pure black one; this time he paws at Gibbs shoe. Gibbs kneels down and Samson drops the kitten in his hand.

"Samson, what are you doing?" Gibbs has a sad idea forming and isn't sure that he wants confirmation. The cat nudges Gibbs with his head, encouraging him to start petting the kitten. Laurie kneels down too, keeping a hand on Gibbs shoulder as she gives him quiet support. Samson stares hard at Gibbs, then at Laurie. Clearly he's asking the humans to watch over his kittens.

Gibbs swallows hard as he watches his cat step away. "Samson, wait, please." The cat stops and Gibbs hands the kitten to Laurie as he picks up the cat. "Thank you, my friend. You may go now, watch over our girls for me." The cat meows his agreement and fades into the bushes. The kittens, completely unaware of the drama going on around them start playing again, tumbling and hissing at each other as the humans watch with tears running down their cheeks. Several minutes pass as the kittens play and the humans grieve. Soon the kittens are once again asleep at the humans' feet.

Gibbs wipes the tears from his face and turns to both Laurie and his father. He clears his throat a few times, trying to get the words out, yet finding it increasingly difficult to do so. He settles for an arm around both of them, pulling them into his embrace. Jackson holds his son close knowing that the grief of losing the cat is more than likely bringing back grief for Shannon and Kelly.

A small howl of pain brings them all out of the huddle they'd been in. The black kitten is crying while the white-footed one looks on in concern. Gibbs is the first to react; he kneels down and picks up the crying kitten.

"Hey little buddy, what's wrong? Fleck bite your tail too hard?"

The other two humans share smiles over his head. Jackson Gibbs sighs in relief; he'd feared that losing Samson might make Leroy retreat into himself again. If he's helping a kitten, not to mention naming a kitten, Leroy Jethro Gibbs is on his way to mending that 20 year old hole in his heart.

Laurie motions for Jackson to follow her back towards the house while Gibbs keeps watch over the kittens. She tells him about the silly plans the two had made, about Samson being Gibbs best man and Jack giving her away.

"There's no reason we still can't do that Laurie. I can give you to my son and be his best man. If he wants me to that is."

"He does, he was kinda upset when I first told him about Samson being his best man as he thought that meant that you didn't want to be."

"My son never was very rational when it came to personal things. Come on let's go tell him the good news."

"What good news Dad?" Gibbs is standing there with a kitten in each hand. He hands Fleck, the white-footed one, to his dad while looking at him. Jackson takes the kitten and starts petting it, enjoying the feel of the soft fur and the purring that ensues from his petting.

"He said that he could be your best man and walk me down the aisle."

"Or I could ask McGee and DiNozzo to be my groomsmen, while Dad concentrates on bringing you to me."

They both look at him and he's smiling. He still has a few tears lingering in those blue eyes, but he's smiling as he nods at the kittens.

"We have new family members that need taken care of. I think that DiNozzo would be highly put out if I didn't make him my groomsman; McGee to a lesser degree, but yeah, Tony would pout for weeks, and I don't need that particular DiNozzo pouting at me."

Laurie looks at the black kitten. It's curled up in the crook of Gibbs arm, reminding her strongly of Samson. She smiles at the little pink tongue that curls out of the kitten's mouth when it yawns. Tiny claws start kneading Gibbs arm as the kitten readies itself for a deeper sleep. Laurie asks, "So what are you gonna name this furball?"

"That sounds like a good name." he smirks at the incredulous look his father gives him. A soft smack at the back of his head brings the smile out fully. He grabs the hand that smacked him and kisses the palm.

"Furball it is. Whatcha think about that name, Furball?"

The kitten mews a soft protest bringing laughter to all three of them. They rack their brains for all names that might fit a black furred kitten. When Gibbs mentions the word obsidian, the kitten raises his head and meows.

"Obsidian, huh? Okay, that works for me." They walk inside, each man carrying a kitten as they discuss the week to come.

_Miles above, a black cat prowls towards the house where he knows he'll be welcomed. He paws at the door and Shannon Gibbs opens it. "Kelly! Come see who's here. Welcome home Samson." The big black cat sighs as he's lifted into loving arms. He knows his kittens are safe with his beloved human, and he's finally with the other two loved ones who left him behind so long ago. _

End…at least for this story. Thank you to all who followed this story, will it continue from here? That remains to be seen. Readers, reviewers and those who put this story on alert, thank you, thank you, thank you. You are all greatly appreciated and inspire me to keep writing.


	16. Chapter 16

Just a quick note to my readers: Samson's journey is over but his son's adventures are just beginning. Obsidian starts this week at a fanfiction site near you.


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